9 Florida Residents Make Forbes List of Richest Self-Made Women

In Forbes' annual ranking of the nation's most successful women entrepreneurs, executives, and entertainers, nine Florida residents appear alongside stars like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and Dolly Parton.

The 2025 list, which ranks the wealthiest 100 women in the U.S. by net worth, includes a record 38 self-made billionaires — seven more than in 2024. The minimum wealth to qualify increased from $300 million to $350 million this year.

Wisconsin billionaire Diane Hendricks, cofounder of the roofing-material company ABC Supply, once again topped the rankings with a net worth of $22.3 billion as of June 4. Other notable names include Oprah Winfrey at no. 13 with $3.1 billion, newcomer Gomez at no. 48 with $700 million, and Taylor Swift, whose $1.6 billion net worth slotted her at no. 21. Notably, eight members of the 2024 reindition became billionaires this year, many due to higher valuations of private tech companies.

Three of this year's nine newcomers are Florida residents, including South Florida's car dealership queen Rita Case. However, Lucy Guo, who became the youngest self-made female billionaire at 30 in April, decided to no longer call Miami home. We will surely miss her epic ragers.

Below, listed in descending order of wealth, are the nine Sunshine State women who made the grade this year.

Safra Catz (no. 15)

Safra Catz, who has served as the CEO of the software company Oracle since September 2014, has a net worth of $2.7 billion. She has moved up the list five spots since last year. 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 led 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.

Lauren Leichtman (no. 26)

Lauren Leichtman, worth $1.3 billion, cofounded the buyout firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) with her husband, Arthur Levine, in 1984. According to Forbes, the private equity firm has managed $16.4 billion of institutional capital across 15 investment funds and currently manages $11 billion in assets. The couple moved to Miami in 2021 to oversee the firm's new office in the Design District. Its portfolio has included Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Wetzel's Pretzels, and Nothing Bundt Cakes. The power couple is worth a cool $2.6 billion combined.

Michele Kang (no. 28)

The South Korea native founded healthcare information technology Cognosante in 2008 and sold it to Accenture 16 years later for a mere $1 billion. She owns majority stakes in the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League, OL Lyonnes in France, and London City Lionesses in England. She launched the world's first multi-team global organization specializing in women's sports. The Palm Beach resident is worth $1.2 billion.

Neerja Sethi (no. 35)

Fisher Island resident Neerja Sethi cofounded IT consulting firm Syntel with her husband Bharat Desai in 1980 and took it public in 1997. In 2018, she sold the company to a French IT firm for $3.4 billion. Sethi's net worth is currently pegged at $1 billion. She dropped eight spots this year.

Martine Rothblatt (no. 35)

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, Rothblatt branched out into the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, founding the biotech company United Therapeutics in 1996, which sells five FDA-approved drugs to help people with the same disease her daughter has. Now 70 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 $1.1 billion.

Rita Case (no. 57)

Floridians should be quite familiar with Rita Case. The newcomer to the list is the owner and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group, based in Sunrise. The car dealership group rakes in $2 billion a year in revenue, operating 12 dealerships between the Sunshine State and Georgia. Back in 1977, she met her late husband, Rick Case, at a Honda convention. They married three years later and formed the Rick Case Automotive Group, now the largest auto retailer owned and operated by a woman. Time Magazine named her "dealer of the year" in 2024. Rita is worth $600 million.

Judy Sheindlin (no. 61)

Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, thanks to her popular daytime courtroom reality show, is a Naples resident with a net worth of $580 million. The 82-year-old made $47 million a year before taxes, from hosting her show from 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 25 years. She now hosts Judy Justice on Amazon Freevee.

Doreen Granpeesheh (no. 89)

Doreen Granpeesheh is a 62-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 in 2023, she bought back the company for $50 million and returned as CEO. Her net worth is valued at $400 million.

Serena Williams (no. 100)

Tennis legend Serena Williams is the only professional athlete to crack Forbes' list of America's richest self-made women. Considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles during her storied career. The 43-year-old, who has a net worth of $350 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.