Seven Florida Residents Make Forbes List of Richest Self-Made Women (2024)

The Rich

Fort Lauderdale resident and Oracle CEO Safra Catz is the wealthiest Floridian on Forbes' list.

By Naomi Feinstein

May 29, 2024

Lucy Guo comes in at no. 64 on Forbes' list — but the homeowners' association at One Thousand Museum might like to have a word.Photo by Phillip Pessar/Flickr, Screenshot via @nomadtechie/Instagram

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Safra Catz (no. 20)

Safra Catz, who has served as the CEO of the software company Oracle since September 2014, has a net worth of $1.9 billion. The Fort Lauderdale resident was born in Israel and worked on Wall Street before eventually joining the software firm in 1999. Forbes reports that Catz is credited for leading the company's "aggressive acquisition strategy." The 62-year-old and her husband contributed $250,000 to Donald Trump's fundraising committee in June 2020.

Neerja Sethi (no. 27)

Fisher Island residentNeerja Sethi cofounded IT consulting firm Syntel with her husband Bahart Desai in 1980, later selling the company to a French IT firm for $3.4 billion in 2018. Sethi's net worth is currently pegged at $1 billion.

Martine Rothblatt (no. 42)

A resident of Satellite Beach in Brevard County, Martine Rothblatt cofounded Sirius Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM) in 1990. After her daughter's diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension, Rothblattbranched out intothe biotech and pharmaceutical industries, founding the biotech company United Therapeutics in 1996. Now 69 years old, she came out as transgender in 1994 and has become an advocate for the transgender community. She chairs the board of United Therapeutics and boasts a net worth of $820 million.

Judy Sheindlin (no. 58)

Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, thanks to her popular daytime courtroom reality show, is a Naples resident with a net worth of $560 million. The 81-year-old made $47 million a year before taxesfrom 2012 to 2020, according to Forbes. She became the highest-paid TV host in 2018, after she sold the rights to her episode library to CBS for $100 million. Judge Judy officially went off the air in 2020 after nearly 30 years. She now hosts Judy Justice on Amazon Freevee.

Lucy Guo (no. 64)

Lucy Guo cofounded the artificial-intelligence company Scale AI in 2016, then left the company two years later and founded Passes, a social platform for creators to share insights, which she now runs. The 29-year-old has a net worth of $500 million. Though she lists Miami as her primary residence, her Instagram indicates that she also spends time in Los Angeles. As New Times has previously noted, she also throws one hell of a rager.

Doreen Granpeesheh (no. 87)

Doreen Granpeesheh is a 61-year-old Marco Island resident and founder of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). Born in Iran, Branpeesheh sold CARD to the private-equity firm Blackstone in 2018 in a $600 million deal. After CARD filed for bankruptcy, she bought back the company for $50 million and returned as CEO. Her net worth is valued at $390 million.

Serena Williams (no. 97)

Tennis legend Serena Williams is the only professional athlete to crack Forbes' top 100. Considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles during her storied career. The 42-year-old, who has a net worth of $340 million, earned nearly $95 million in prize money alone, according to Forbes. She founded Serena Ventures, a venture-capital firm,in 2017 and cofounded the lifestyle and recovery brand Will Perform five years later. Williams recently launched her production company, Nine Two Six Productions, and a makeup brand, WYN Beauty. She and her sister Venus purchased a stake in the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

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