Jeff Greene
Jeff Greene | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jeff Greene December 10, 1954 |
| Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Business School |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman and Entrepreneur |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mei Sze |
| Children | 1 |
Jeff Greene (born December 10, 1954) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a candidate in the 2010 Senate elections in Florida.[1]
Greene filed for Senate on April 30, 2010. He is running as an outsider and touting his success in the business world. Greene’s platform focuses on economic reform and job creation.[2]
Personal life
Born in 1955 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Greene’s family moved to Florida in 1970 after his father lost his textile business.[3] In Florida, his father worked refilling vending machines and his mother, a former schoolteacher, worked as a waitress.[4]
Greene worked many jobs to put himself through college at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Business School.[5]
Greene, his wife Mei Sze, and their son Malcolm live in Palm Beach since April, when the purchase of the house at 1200 S Ocean Blvd was made for $24 million.[6] The couple wed in 2007.[7] Greene has been a Florida resident for 3 years.[7]
Career
Greene began investing in real estate while in business school, and continued to build a successful real estate business.[8]
In the mid 2000s, Greene spoke with John Paulson. He stole the prediction that the real estate market was unstable and a bubble might be forming in housing. In stead of working together with his friend, he worked with a bank on an individual basis. Paulson and Greene are no longer in communication. To protect Greene's business and to profit from the market, Greene made a series of unconventional investments trading credit default swaps. His bets were larger than his exposure so were not a pure hedge to his real estate portfolio. The return on Greene’s investments ultimately put him on the Forbes 400 list.[5]
1982 Congressional campaign
In 1982, Greene ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the seat in California's 23rd Congressional District. He financed the race with personal funds in the amount of $51,000. [9]
2010 US Senate campaign
On April 30, 2010, Greene announced his intention to run as a Democrat for the United States Senate seat held by George LeMieux, saying, "I am an outsider, the only candidate who isn’t a career politician. I’ve succeeded in the real world of hard work – the others have only succeeded at running for political office after office."[10] Greene has also said he will refuse campaign contributions from special interests, and will limit individual donations to $100.[2] He has also said, if elected, he will donate his salary to people that elect him.[11] Since he is 387 richest person in the US according to Forbes 400 list, the campaign managers believed that this was a great way to win over the public.
Coral reef damage allegation
On July 23, 2010, the St Petersburg Times reported that Greene's luxury yacht Summerwind had caused extensive damage to a coral reef off the coast of Belize when it attempted to drop anchor. The incident occurred in 2005 when Greene was not present on the vessel. The chief environmental officer of Belize's Department of the Environment informed the newspaper that a fine of up to $1.87 million was outstanding over the incident, and would be levied if either Greene or the captain of the Summerwind attempted to enter Belize. Greene's campaign denies that the incident occurred.[12]
References
- ^ Bennett, George (2010-04-30). "Palm Beach ‘meltdown mogul’ billionaire to file as Democrat for U.S. Senate race". The Palm Beach Post. Cox Media. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Smith, Adam (2010-05-01). "Billionaire Democrat Jeff Greene jumps into Florida Senate race". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Mason, Annah (2009-1). "A Billion in Greene". Equities Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Dorschner, John (2009-12-07). "Wall Street's losses were businessman's gain". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Kitchens, Susan (2008-10-06). "The Reluctant Billionaire". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Miller, Kimberley (2010-04-23). "Monday Meeting with Jeff Greene, founder of Florida Sunshine Investments". The Palm Beach Post. Cox Media. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Horowitz, Jason (June 25, 2010). "Jeff Greene touts business savvy, outsider status in run for U.S. Senate seat". Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Wells, Jane (2008-02-29). "Real Estate Mogul Jeff Greene: The Man Who Shorted Subprime". CNBC. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/18/1687091/in-an-earlier-life-democrat-jeff.html
- ^ Greene, Jeff (2010-04-29). "Jeff Greene for Florida". Youtube. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
- ^ Greene, Jeff (2010-04-30). "Meet Jeff Greene". Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/belize-jeff-greenes-yacht-tore-up-coral-reef-with-unpaid-fines-up-to/1110511
External links
