Jeff Green

Jeff Green,

Jeff Greene (born December 10, 1954) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a candidate in the 2010 Senate elections in Florida.

Personal life

Born in 1954 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Greene’s family moved to Florida in 1970 after his father lost his textile business.In Florida, his father worked refilling vending machines and his mother, a former schoolteacher, worked as a waitress.

Greene worked many jobs to put himself through college at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Business School.

Greene, his wife Mei Sze, and their son Malcolm have lived in Palm Beach since April 2010, when they bought the oceanfront mansion La Bellucia for $24 million. The couple wed in 2007. Mike Tyson was the Best Man at the wedding. Greene was quoted as saying, “I just wish I had met Mei Sze 20 years ago." Greene has been a Florida resident for the past 3 years, his family has lived there since 1970. 

Career

Greene began investing in real estate while in business school, and continued to build a successful real estate business. Greene went from being a bus boy at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach to being one of the most succesful businessmen in the world. 

In mid-2006, Greene, worried about the possible collapse of the real estate market, spoke with John Paulson, a fellow investor who discussed with Greene his investing strategy. They agreed that the real estate market was unstable and a bubble might be forming in housing. After the meeting, Greene engaged in a similar investing strategy to that of Paulson, which involved a series of unconventional investments trading credit default swaps. The return on Greene’s investments ultimately saved his business, and even put him on the Forbes 400 list.

1982 Congressional campaign

In 1982, Greene ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the seat in California's 23rd Congressional District. He financed the race with personal funds in the amount of $51,000. 

United States Senate election in Florida, 2010

On April 30, 2010, Greene announced his intention to run as a Democrat for the United States Senate seat held by George LeMieux, saying, "I am an outsider, the only candidate who isn’t a career politician. I’ve succeeded in the real world of hard work – the others have only succeeded at running for political office after office." Greene has also said he will refuse campaign contributions from special interests, and will limit individual donations to $100. He has also said, if elected, he will donate his salary to people that elect him.

Greene’s platform focuses on economic reform and job creation. Greene introduced his story and his campaign with a sixty-second video.

Greene's campaign was endorsed by the Tallahassee Democrat Editorial Board. In their endorsement, the board commended Greene for his "edge and an energy that make him want to push beyond the usual talking points", remarking, "we like the toughness he would bring to the office." 

Belize Coral Reef

On July 23, 2010, the St Petersburg Times reported that Greene's luxury yacht Summerwind had caused damage to a coral reef off the coast of Belize when it attempted to drop anchor. The alleged incident occurred in 2005 when Greene was not present on the vessel. When questioned, the chief environmental officer of Belize's Department of the Environment informed the newspaper that both Greene and the former captain of the Summerwind face a fine of up to $1.87 million should either return to Belize. According to newspaper reports at the time, the captain was interrogated by police and was then released. Then, according to Greene's former yacht manager Rupert Connor, the boat left Belize as scheduled, and he was never notified of any claim against the vessel. Greene's campaign denies that the incident occurred.

(source:wikipdia)