Billionaire Herbie Wertheim throws his red hat into congressional race
By Joel Engelhardt | Stet News
April 6, 2026 at 12:54 PM EDT
Democrat Lois Frankel has faced many challengers but no close calls since she defeated Republican Adam Hasner in 2012 to lay claim to Palm Beach County-based U.S. House District 22.
This year, two Democrats and seven Republicans, including two who ran before, are lining up to run for the House seat that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.
But there’s a new name emerging among Republicans who could give the well-financed Frankel a run for her money in 2026 — billionaire philanthropist Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim.
READ MORE: Lawyer, activist in Lake Worth to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel in August primary
The retired optometrist, inventor and Trump supporter with homes in Palm Beach and Manalapan is throwing his red hat in the ring.
His philanthropy is focused on health care, particularly prevention so people don’t need expensive medical treatments, an issue he hopes he can raise during the campaign.
“I really believe honestly I can do some good,” he told Stet News. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to differentiate ourselves from others running for the Republican nomination. I don’t want things. I want to give things rather than take things.”
From left, FSU Business Dean Michael Hartline, FSU President Richard McCullough, philanthropist Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim and FSU Board Chair Peter Collins. (768x328, AR: 2.341463414634146)
Ready to spend
Wertheim, 86, said his first campaign report due in mid-April will show he has seeded his campaign with $2.5 million of his own money. He said he would self-finance his campaign so he would owe nothing to special interests.
That amount is nearly double what Frankel, 77, had raised by the end of 2025 and 15 times more than Wertheim’s nearest Republican rival, Anna Medvedeva. Medvedeva, a Russian immigrant, loaned her campaign $150,000 of the $168,000 she had raised by year end.
For the past two election cycles, the race for the Republican nomination has been between Dan Franzese and Deborah Adeimy, with Franzese making it to the general election both times, only to be beaten by Frankel by 55% to 45% margins.
In 2020, Frankel, a former state House member and mayor of West Palm Beach, took 59% of the vote to beat back Republican provocateur Laura Loomer.
The Democratic-leaning district runs from Yamato Road in Boca Raton to Southern Boulevard and along the coast to the north end of West Palm Beach. State legislators plan to redraw congressional district maps at a special session from April 20 to 24, so its ultimate makeup is uncertain.
Dr. Herbert Wertheim announces his $100 million gift to the University of Florida in October 2022. (768x420, AR: 1.8285714285714285)
Pledged $100 million to UF
Wertheim, listed by Forbes among the world’s 1,200 richest people with a net worth of $3.7 billion, invented an eyeglass tint in 1969 to filter out UV rays and grew his fortune through stock investments, including a large investment in Heico, a Broward-based aerospace and engineering company.
He’s a member of the Mar-a-Lago Club, has two homes in Palm Beach and one in Manalapan and just emerged from a contentious divorce.
His ocean-to-lake Manalapan home cost him $61.75 million in December, bringing his total residential real estate investment in the county to $117 million since 2023.
He moved to Palm Beach County from Miami after working behind the scenes to persuade the University of Florida to absorb The Scripps Research Institute in 2022. His $100 million pledge helped seal the deal. The campus in Jupiter now bears his name.
His $65 million contribution in December to Florida State University’s newly named Herbert Wertheim College of Business will train business students to fill gaps in the health care business workforce.
In January, he bid $2 million for dinner with Trump at an auction benefiting the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation. He plans to bring his grandsons, both in their 20s, to meet the president.
In March, he pledged $1.5 million toward Nancy Brinker’s Promise Fund to expand breast and cervical cancer screenings, patient navigation and follow-up care for women facing barriers to care across South Florida.
A rags-to-riches billionaire
He is known for his trademark red fedora, which he started wearing two decades ago after a trip to Ecuador. After a few compliments, he said in 2022 he decided “I ain’t ever gonna take it off.”
Now, it’s his recognizable brand.
He made light of his age — he turns 87 in May.
“I promise if elected I won’t go past 105,” he said. “All original equipment. No spare parts.”
He emphasized his rags-to-richest story, recalling running away from his Miami home as a teen to live with Seminole Indians in the Everglades before enlisting in the Navy rather than face truancy charges.
He is committed to The Giving Pledge, saying in 2022 at the ceremony to mark his gift to UF that he wanted to give away billions before he died.
“You know, being a billionaire is not so easy. I’m serious when I say that. If you have a billion dollars, you have to figure out some way to give away $100 million 10 times. If you have 4 or 5 billion, you have to figure out 50 times how to give away $100 million. And to do it sensibly and with good judgment.”
His 2023 divorce from his wife of 54 years, Nicole, focused on control over the family foundation, with Nicole contending he forged her signature to replace their daughter, Vanessa, as a foundation trustee with his brother, Ray.
The case closed in 2025 with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Thomas Rebull ruling that Wertheim would wield full control over the foundation’s finances, removing his ex-wife.
Editor’s note: Joel Engelhardt got to know Dr. Wertheim when he worked with him on a single event in 2023.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
This year, two Democrats and seven Republicans, including two who ran before, are lining up to run for the House seat that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.
But there’s a new name emerging among Republicans who could give the well-financed Frankel a run for her money in 2026 — billionaire philanthropist Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim.
READ MORE: Lawyer, activist in Lake Worth to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel in August primary
The retired optometrist, inventor and Trump supporter with homes in Palm Beach and Manalapan is throwing his red hat in the ring.
His philanthropy is focused on health care, particularly prevention so people don’t need expensive medical treatments, an issue he hopes he can raise during the campaign.
“I really believe honestly I can do some good,” he told Stet News. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to differentiate ourselves from others running for the Republican nomination. I don’t want things. I want to give things rather than take things.”
From left, FSU Business Dean Michael Hartline, FSU President Richard McCullough, philanthropist Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim and FSU Board Chair Peter Collins. (768x328, AR: 2.341463414634146)
Ready to spend
Wertheim, 86, said his first campaign report due in mid-April will show he has seeded his campaign with $2.5 million of his own money. He said he would self-finance his campaign so he would owe nothing to special interests.
That amount is nearly double what Frankel, 77, had raised by the end of 2025 and 15 times more than Wertheim’s nearest Republican rival, Anna Medvedeva. Medvedeva, a Russian immigrant, loaned her campaign $150,000 of the $168,000 she had raised by year end.
For the past two election cycles, the race for the Republican nomination has been between Dan Franzese and Deborah Adeimy, with Franzese making it to the general election both times, only to be beaten by Frankel by 55% to 45% margins.
In 2020, Frankel, a former state House member and mayor of West Palm Beach, took 59% of the vote to beat back Republican provocateur Laura Loomer.
The Democratic-leaning district runs from Yamato Road in Boca Raton to Southern Boulevard and along the coast to the north end of West Palm Beach. State legislators plan to redraw congressional district maps at a special session from April 20 to 24, so its ultimate makeup is uncertain.
Dr. Herbert Wertheim announces his $100 million gift to the University of Florida in October 2022. (768x420, AR: 1.8285714285714285)
Pledged $100 million to UF
Wertheim, listed by Forbes among the world’s 1,200 richest people with a net worth of $3.7 billion, invented an eyeglass tint in 1969 to filter out UV rays and grew his fortune through stock investments, including a large investment in Heico, a Broward-based aerospace and engineering company.
He’s a member of the Mar-a-Lago Club, has two homes in Palm Beach and one in Manalapan and just emerged from a contentious divorce.
His ocean-to-lake Manalapan home cost him $61.75 million in December, bringing his total residential real estate investment in the county to $117 million since 2023.
He moved to Palm Beach County from Miami after working behind the scenes to persuade the University of Florida to absorb The Scripps Research Institute in 2022. His $100 million pledge helped seal the deal. The campus in Jupiter now bears his name.
His $65 million contribution in December to Florida State University’s newly named Herbert Wertheim College of Business will train business students to fill gaps in the health care business workforce.
In January, he bid $2 million for dinner with Trump at an auction benefiting the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation. He plans to bring his grandsons, both in their 20s, to meet the president.
In March, he pledged $1.5 million toward Nancy Brinker’s Promise Fund to expand breast and cervical cancer screenings, patient navigation and follow-up care for women facing barriers to care across South Florida.
A rags-to-riches billionaire
He is known for his trademark red fedora, which he started wearing two decades ago after a trip to Ecuador. After a few compliments, he said in 2022 he decided “I ain’t ever gonna take it off.”
Now, it’s his recognizable brand.
He made light of his age — he turns 87 in May.
“I promise if elected I won’t go past 105,” he said. “All original equipment. No spare parts.”
He emphasized his rags-to-richest story, recalling running away from his Miami home as a teen to live with Seminole Indians in the Everglades before enlisting in the Navy rather than face truancy charges.
He is committed to The Giving Pledge, saying in 2022 at the ceremony to mark his gift to UF that he wanted to give away billions before he died.
“You know, being a billionaire is not so easy. I’m serious when I say that. If you have a billion dollars, you have to figure out some way to give away $100 million 10 times. If you have 4 or 5 billion, you have to figure out 50 times how to give away $100 million. And to do it sensibly and with good judgment.”
His 2023 divorce from his wife of 54 years, Nicole, focused on control over the family foundation, with Nicole contending he forged her signature to replace their daughter, Vanessa, as a foundation trustee with his brother, Ray.
The case closed in 2025 with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Thomas Rebull ruling that Wertheim would wield full control over the foundation’s finances, removing his ex-wife.
Editor’s note: Joel Engelhardt got to know Dr. Wertheim when he worked with him on a single event in 2023.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.