Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor, reported Tuesday that her net worth dropped nearly 34 percent in 2020. Beating by a day a deadline for filing annual financial-disclosure reports, Fried listed a net worth of $970,244 as of Dec. 31, 2020, down from $1.46 million at the end of 2019.
The biggest change in the new report was the inclusion of a $508,608 mortgage on a Tallahassee home valued at $745,000. The 2019 report showed a $719,500 home value and no mortgage.
In her 2019 filing, Fried’s only liabilities were $73,585 remaining on a student loan and $26,329 on an auto loan. The student loan was reduced to $68,415 in the latest report, while the auto loan was down to $21,351. Among the assets listed in the new report, Fried showed $222,473 in retirement accounts, $130,464 in Ignite Holdings, LLC, and $210,682 in checking, savings and health-savings accounts. The 2019 report showed the value of the Ignite Holdings asset at $190,260.
She listed household goods and personal effects combined at $235,000 in the new report, up from $230,000 a year earlier. Fried also reported receiving $126,814 from her state job in 2020. She reported drawing $128,972 as agriculture commissioner in 2019.
Fried recently has drawn criticism for amending earlier disclosure forms, posting previously unreported income she earned as a marijuana lobbyist before being elected in 2018. State officials are required to file disclosure reports to the Florida Commission on Ethics, with a loose July 1 deadline. However, rules set by the Legislature provide an additional two-month window before officials can face fines — $25 a day — because of any tardiness. The disclosure forms require elected officials to list estimated net worths, assets valued at more than $1,000, liabilities of more than $1,000 and information about income.