Revealed: Don Gaetz's Assets & Salary in Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Don Gaetz has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What is Don Gaetz's net worth and Salary?

Don Gaetz is an American politician who has a net worth of $40 million. Don Gaetz is a former member of the Florida State Senate and businessman, but he is probably best-known or being the father of politicianMatt Gaetz. Don earned his fortune as the co-founder of a hospice care company called VITAS Healthcare. In 2004, VITAS was acquired by the company that owns Roto-Rooter for $400 million. According to a financial disclosure made when he was a state senator, in approximately 2015, Gaetz's net worth was $25 million.

Don Gaetz was born in Rugby, North Dakota, on January 22, 1948. His father, Jerry Gaetz, was a one-time mayor of Rugby and a state legislator. In 1964, Jerry was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. Tragically, Jerry died of a heart attack while appearing at the 1964 Republican National Convention. Don, who was 16 years old at the time, saw his father die live while watching the event on television.

In 2004, VITAS was acquired by Roto Rooter's parent company, Chemed, for $400 million. Today, Chemed is a publicly traded company with a $7.5 billion market cap and $2 billion in annual revenue. Its two primary divisions are Roto-Rooter and VITAS Healthcare.

Don Gaetz graduated from Concordia College and earned his M.P.A. from Troy State University. In 1978, at the age of 30, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he took a job as a hospital administrator. While serving in this role, he successfully lobbied the state legislature to create hospice care programs for the dying. More specifically, he helped make Florida the first state in the US to have licensure law, which required those practicing in the hospice care space to have a license.

In 1982, Gaetz was a primary figure in passing the Federal Hospice Care Reimbursement Act. This act made hospice care a benefit covered by Medicare. One year later, Don and a group of partners converted what had been a non-profit hospice organization called VITAS into a for-profit healthcare company called Hospice Incorporated. They eventually changed the company name to VITAS Healthcare.

Don Gaetz speaks in 2016 (Photo by Johnny Louis/FilmMagic)

According to financial disclosures made while he was a state Senator, the sale to Roto-Rooter left Don Gaetz with a net worth of $25 million.

Today, VITAS is the largest end-of-life healthcare provider in the US, operating in roughly 50 hospitals in 14 states plus the District of Columbia. Vitas employs roughly 12,000 healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, social workers, and home health aides – and serves around 20,000 patients each day nationwide.

In summary, the total wealth of Don Gaetz reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.