Florida Billionaire Wayne Huizenga’s Relationship with Clarence Thomas Under Scrutiny

H. Wayne Huizenga, the now-deceased billionaire who at one point owned three South Florida sports teams, was one of several wealthy businessmen who provided lavish gifts, vacations, and excursions on private jets to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to recent reporting.

The nature of Huizenga’s relationship with Thomas — and the lifestyle it afforded the justice — came under scrutiny in a recent ProPublica story detailing the extent of such luxury perks, which often went undisclosed. Failure to disclose gifts like flights and yacht cruises may be a violation of the law, ethics experts told ProPublica.

Lawmakers from the Democratic Party are calling for Thomas’ resignation, citing potential conflicts of interest. While ProPublica reported that there were no legal cases that Huizenga had before the Supreme Court during his relationship with Thomas, his industries, like those of the justice’s other wealthy friends, could have been affected by court rulings.

According to ProPublica, a non-profit investigative newsroom, examples of the largesse extended to Thomas included at least two occasions when Huizenga sent his personal 737 to pick up Thomas and bring him back to South Florida. Jet charter companies estimated that the five-hour trip from D.C. would have cost Thomas at least $130,000 had he chartered it himself.

Thomas was also reportedly a frequent guest at Huizenga’s exclusive, members-only golf club, where the course was lined with cottages, a yacht marina and a helipad.

Huizenga met Thomas in Washington, D.C. in 1992 during a gala in which they were both inducted into the Horatio Alger Association, ProPublica reported. The outlet said Huizenga’s name was not found on any of Thomas’ financial disclosures, where justices must report their gifts.

ProPublica reported on a biography given to Huizenga’s family and friends, in which Thomas said his relationship with Huizenga was never transactional, even though they sometimes discussed the businessman’s companies. “It wasn’t that kind of friendship,” he reportedly said.

In a statement, Cris Branden, CFO of Huizenga Holdings, referred to recent reporting about Thomas’ receipt of luxury gifts as a “media crusade” against “an honorable man.”

“We find it quite repulsive that there are still people who cannot accept that a wealthy white man can be friends with a Black man without a quid pro quo involved,” Branden said. “Both men worked hard their entire lives and were honored by Horatio Alger for that hard work and their humble beginnings, and sometimes people are truly just friends.”

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans was founded in 1947. Named after the author Horatio Alger, known for his rags-to-riches novels, the organization’s membership includes prominent figures in business, politics, and media. Thomas has been a member for more than three decades, joining soon after his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Huizenga was a long-time member of the Horatio Alger Board, serving as president and CEO from 2000 to 2002, and chairman from 2002 to 2004.

Huizenga was born on Dec. 29, 1937, and graduated high school from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. He first achieved success with the sanitation company Waste Management — a business with origins tracing back to a garbage route he drove in 1962.

By the 1980s, he was a prominent businessman in the solid waste industry. In 1984, he founded Huizenga Holdings, which focused on holding or owning securities of companies other than banks. His business ventures further expanded when he became co-owner of Blockbuster Video and founder of AutoNation.

Huizenga went on to become owner or co-owner of three South Florida sports franchises: the Florida Panthers, Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins, now called the Miami Marlins.

Huizenga and his companies were prolific political donors, particularly to the Republican Party. Between 1996 and 2011, Huizenga and Huizenga Holdings gave nearly $1.3 million to the Republican Party of Florida. During the same time period, he gave more than $400,000 in federal contributions to various GOP-affiliated groups. Huizenga and Huizenga Holdings also gave more than $485,000 to a Florida political action committee supporting the campaigns of former Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is now a U.S. Senator.

Huizenga Holdings also gave smaller contributions to the Democratic Party in Florida in the amount of $57,000, and nationally to a Democratic National Committee-affiliated committee in the amount of $25,000 during that same period.

Huizenga died at his home in Fort Lauderdale after a long battle with cancer on March 22, 2018. He was 80.

McClatchy staff writer Ben Wieder contributed to this report.