Forbes has long been known for its lists. if you want to learn the richest people in the world and the U.S., the best places to work, the highest paid athletes, the wealthiest celebrities, the top people in entertainment, tech, philanthropy, even cannabis, Forbes brings the receipts.
This year they introduced a new one: Decabillionaire Dynasties, a look at the richest families in the country. And two clans based in Florida made the list.
"Because $1 billion isn’t what it used to be, Forbes introduces the first ever ranking of the nation’s clans who are worth $10 billion or more," Forbes said in the introduction. "Some famous families make the cut, but others like the Kennedys and Gettys just aren’t wealthy enough."
Who was wealthy enough to make the list? The richest family in the country remains the Walton family, currently at least 39 people related to Walmart founders Sam and Bud Walton who are worth, collectively, about $267 billion according to Forbes. And that's after selling about $22 billion of Walmart stock and giving $11 billion away.
The seven descendants of Sam and Bud, all billionaires, own an estimated 45% of Walmart stock and two of them sit on the board, while the family's multiple sports teams (including the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Rams and the British soccer team Arsenal) help bring in the bucks.
In Florida, it was the family that founded and runs Publix, and the family that owned Manchester United and still owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
No. 39: The Jenkins family
When George W. Jenkins left Piggly Wiggly to start a new grocery store in 1930, "Mr. George" may not have dreamed that someday his dynasty of about 29 people would be one of the nation's wealthiest with an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion.
But Publix Supermarkets did pretty well, it turns out, and is now the largest employee-owned firm in the country. Past and present staffers own 80% of the company and the Jenkins family hold on to the rest.
Lakeland-based Publix was ranked 16th on Forbes' list of "Best Employers" for 2023, with over 250,000 employees and a focus on cleanliness and customer service. There are currently 1,367 Publix stores in eight states and 865 in Florida alone. And some loyal fans would never dream of shopping anywhere else. In the Sunshine State, you are rarely more than an hour away from a Publix sub.
It remained a family business for decades, although others have since moved into the top spots. Jenkins' grandson William E. “Ed” Crenshaw, was formerly the CEO until his retirement in 2016 and then Chairman of the Board until this year when he became chairman emeritus. Jenkins' daughter, Carol Jenkins Barnett, served on the board and was president of Publix Super Markets Charities until 2016. Two other family members, Jennifer Jenkins and Howard Jenkins, also serve on the board, Forbes said.
No. 44: The Glazer family
Just squeaking in on the Forbes list are the Glazers with an estimated net worth of $10 billion. The 29 family members are all connected to self-made billionaire Malcolm Glazer, who went from watch repair to global real estate and business investing and finally sports team ownership.
Glazer bought the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 for $192 million, then a league record, and served as president with his sons Bryan, Joel and Edward as co-chairmen. The laughingstock team thrived under his family's ownership, earning seven playoff berths and winning two Super Bowls. The team is now worth an estimated $4 billion, Forbes said.
Between 2003 and 2005 Palm Beach resident Glazer bought out shareholders in one of the most popular football clubs in the world, England's Manchester United, ultimately acquiring control for $1.47 billion. Fans bitterly opposed the takeover, partly due to the amount of debt the club was put into and especially when the team, 20-time league champions, failed to win since 2013.
Glazer's six children, including Man U co-chairmen Avram and Joel, sold a quarter of their 68% stake in the club to British petrochemicals billionaire Jim Ratcliffe for a deal worth $1.6 billion last December but still retain control.
Other 'decabillionaire families' in Florida
Those were the two families based in Florida. But Forbes also listed plenty of wealthy families who may be based elsewhere but whose members have a second (or third, or fourth) home in the Sunshine State. Just some of the rest include:
- 3. Koch family (Koch conglomerate): $116 billion
- 5. Johnson family (Fidelity Investments): $44.8 billion
- 10. Cox family (Cox Enterprises): $26.8 billion
- 11. Lauder family (Estée Lauder): $25.9 billion
- 15. Busch family (Anheuser-Busch): $20 billion
- 16. Reyes family (Reyes Holdings): $19.9 billion
- 19. Taylor family (Enterprise Rent-A-Car): $19 billion
- 26. Johnson family (Johnson and Johnson): $16 billion
Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News, contributed to this article.
