Florida Agriculture Commissioner and 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Nikki Fried, has filed her financial disclosure forms, showing updates to her 2019 financial forms and new changes.
Fried was hours away from racking up fines for potentially not filing by the September 1 deadline, which was the end of the extended grace period. Form 6, which Fried completed, was originally due on July 1.
The disclosure shows Fried added a mortgage financed for over $500,000 out of City National Bank in Lake Zurich, Il. Her “real property” identified on page three is the home gifted to her from her fiancée Jake Bergman valued at over $700,000. The Florida Capital Star previously reported that Fried’s acquired home would have to be identified as a “gift,” otherwise it would be considered a violation of Florida ethics law.
Chairman of the Leon County GOP Evan Power filed an ethics complaint against Fried in June saying it would have to be reported on another financial disclosure form.
“If this was a ‘gift’ from a non-family member and was permissible, it would be required to be reported on a FORM 9, quarterly gift disclosure, and it was not,” the complaint says.
Being 62 days late is not transparency it’s ineptness. She just cannot be honest with the people of Florida it’s sad https://t.co/q6zvIwcyw8
— Evan Power (@EvanPower) September 1, 2021
Her net worth is valued at just under $1 million, which was much lower than her previously reported net worth in 2019 which was $1.46 million.
As agriculture commissioner, Fried has overseen the implementation of the medical marijuana industry in Florida, and some critics have begun asking if her policy implementation has impacted her personal financial growth.
For example, some of Fried’s other assets include $130,464 in Ignite Holdings, LLC, which is part of her financial stake in Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc. Harvest Health was a medical cannabis company bought out by Trulieve Cannabis Corp. for $2.1 billion in May.
Fried appointed Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers to the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, a committee formed soon after Fried was elected commissioner.
Just before Fried’s announcement of a gubernatorial run on June 1, Fried amended her 2018 financial disclosures to add over $350,000 in income from San Felasco Nurseries which was bought out by Harvest Health in 2018 for $65 million.
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Background Photo “Florida Capitol” by DXR. CC BY-SA 4.0.
