For richer, for poorer, legislators list assets

Conventional wisdom holds that Republicans tend to be richer while Democrats are poorer.

Not in South Florida. Eleven of the 12 richest legislators are Democrats; the poorest one is a Republican. That's the story based on filings with the state ethics commission.

Leading the list of wealthiest legislators is Sen. Walter G. "Skip" Campbell, a Democrat with net worth of $11.52 million. At the bottom is Rep. Rene Garcia, a student-turned-Hialeah politician who has no assets and $8,000 in liabilities.

The average net worth of South Florida's 54 state representatives and senators reporting data is $1,059,318. Average income is $198,406. The median net worth of all reporting legislators is $432,350, while the median income is $114,301.

Each year, elected officials are required to file financial disclosure information with the Florida Commission on Ethics. The forms include net worth, assets and liabilities as well as sources of income of more than $1,000. The form requires the disclosure of certain relationships or ownership in businesses such as banks, savings and loan associations, insurance and utility companies.

In the tri-county area, 12 legislators have a net worth in excess of $1 million. Six are attorneys, three are business owners, one is a teacher, one is a volunteer, and one is a retired gladiola farmer.

List-leader Campbell, a Democrat from Tamarac, is an attorney with the Fort Lauderdale firm of Krupnick Campbell Malone Roselli Busser Slama & Hancock.

Reached at his vacation home in Maine, he said his secret to success was hard work and he had already made most of his wealth before he entered politics.

"In the beginning there was only the two of us and a secretary," said Campbell, 52. "We literally worked 16-hour days. We were a small firm and in debt. We took on some high-profile cases, and as a firm, we were successful representing our clients."

Campbell said he entered politics because he wanted to see people's rights protected.

"Too often I've seen the government take advantage of people," Campbell said. "And that happens more frequently than I first imagined. I look forward to the times I go to Tallahassee and I give 100 percent of my energy for the people I represent."

In contrast, Garcia, a Hialeah Republican, reports no assets, a liability of $8,000, income of $46,100 and no net worth. Garcia, 27, is a printing consultant with JEM Productions in Hialeah Gardens.

"There's no doubt about it: I am a Republican and I am the poorest legislator in the tri-county area," Garcia said. "I was a college student and city commissioner in Hialeah at the same time. Not much of a chance to make or invest a lot of money.

"But perception is not reality," he said. "Many of my constituents see my office here in Hialeah and some think I am really raking in the money."

Garcia represents a middle-income district and said he is not complaining about not having the money of his peers.

"Presently, I am living off of my salary as a state representative and the consulting work I do," he said. "But I have some concerns. As I travel around the three-county area, I see the job market slowing down, and some workers are learning new jobs are getting difficult to find."

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