Top Five Wealthiest People in Miami

Micky Arison

Net Worth: $4.4 billion

Profession: American businessman

The Source of His Wealth: He inherited it, but he’s got the smarts to grow his fortune. He is the CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines and the owner of the Miami Heat.

Fast Facts: Arison is actually from Israel, but currently splits his time between Miami, New York, and Israel. He attended the University of Miami, though he never graduated. Yes, this college dropout is now the 189th-wealthiest man on the planet with a bank account that is growing, as stock in Carnival surged  close to 60 percent over the past year.

Phillip Frost

Net Worth: $2.2 billion

Profession: Former dermatologist turned super wealthy businessman

The Source of His Wealth: He’s in the pharmaceutical business and owns more than $850 million in Teva Pharmaceuticals stock. He founded Ivax in 1987, a company that develops generic pharmaceuticals, and sold it 18 years later for $7.6 billion.

Fast Facts: He is married and doesn’t have any kids. He is also went to medical school and received a Bachelor of Arts in science from University of Pennsylvania. He donates regularly to the arts, which led to FUI’s Frost Art Museum.

Jeffrey Greene

Net Worth: $2 billion

Profession: Real estate genius

The Source of His Wealth: His bank account first hit the six-figure mark while he was still in school, if you can believe it. This eccentric billionaire saved $100,000 while attending Johns Hopkins University by selling circus tickets, eating at the Pizza Hut buffet, and living out of his car. He later invested all of that money in Boston real estate while getting his master’s degree at Harvard University.

Fast Facts: He is on our “Haute 100” list for Los Angeles. After earning a Harvard M.B.A. he moved to L.A. where he bought and developed apartment buildings. He became a billionaire in 2007 when he bought credit default swaps on subprime mortgage-backed bonds. In December 2009, he purchased a lavish estate in Palm Beach for some $24 million, making him a prime candidate for the Miami version of the Haute 100 in 2010 (which will be released in April).

Edmund Ansin

Net Worth: $1.3 billion

Profession: Broadcasting tycoon

How He Made His Wealth: This Miami-based billionaire (who is heir to his family’s shoe-making fortune) joined his father in buying a Miami television station for $3.4 million in 1962. Today, Sunbeam Broadcasting operates WSVN Channel 7 Miami and WHDH Channel 7 Boston, two of the most prominent stations in the country.

Fast Facts: Last April, he offended (actually, pissed off) fans of Jay Leno when he announced that his Boston NBC station would air a newscast program rather than the funny man’s variety show. He later changed his mind when NBC threatened to yank affiliation. He is a big supporter of the United Way, and the Ansin Building, home to the United Way of Broward County, is named in memory of his parents, Sophie and Sidney Ansin.

Norman Braman

Net Worth: $1.3 billion

Profession: Auto dealer and art collector

How He Made His Wealth: His first job was as a research analyst for a liquor company, but later in his life he co-founded the vitamin retailer Keystone Discount Stores. Today, Braman owns some 16 auto dealerships in Florida and Colorado. On the local front, Braman Motors is where Miamians purchase their luxury rides, such as Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and the elusive Bugatti, as well as BMWs, Minis, and Cadillacs.

Fast Facts: He’s an avid art collector. His portfolio of works by Picasso, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and others is what put him in the billionaire category in late 2008, and the collection is just appreciating in value at an exponential rate—$100 million in 2009 alone.

For a complete list of Miami’s Haute 100, click here