Owner of Manatee County-based Feld Entertainment makes Forbes 2023 billionaire list

Feld Entertainment chairman Kenneth Feld and his family are among the world’s billionaires for another year.

Forbes unveiled its 2023 billionaires list and the longtime owner of Feld Entertainment in Ellenton — which is the parent company for live shows such as Disney on Ice, Monster Jam and others — made the list in at No. 1,027.

With a net worth of $2.9 billion, which was up $600 million from 2022, Feld is higher on the list than former President Donald Trump, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and media magnate Oprah Winfrey.

Trump, Jay-Z and Winfrey are listed at $2.5 billion in net worth.

Feld is also higher on the list than the famed investor Warren Buffett’s right-hand man at Berkshire Hathaway, Charlie Munger.

Buffett, known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” is the near the top of the list at with Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter owner Elon Musk ($180 billion), Amazon owner Jeff Bezos ($114 billion) and Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($104 billion).

Buffett’s net worth is $106 billion. He ranks fifth on the list, with France’s Bernard Arnault and his family, who run fashion empire LVMH, owning the spot as the wealthiest person in the world at $211 billion in net worth.

Feld’s father, Irvin, bought Ringling Bros. Circus in 1967 for $8 million, Forbes reported. Kenneth Feld took over the company in 1984 following his father’s death.

The 74-year-old Sarasota resident is preparing his three daughters to lead the company after him, Forbes reported.

Located in Manatee County near Bradenton, Feld Entertainment and its current live show roster grew out of Ringling Bros. Circus shutting down in 2017 due to faltering ticket sales, Forbes reported.

The circus, however, is getting a reboot with a reimagined show without circus animals set for fall 2023. Tickets went on sale this month.

The tour starts in Bossier City, Louisiana on Sept. 29. The nearest Florida show is at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Jan. 5 through Jan. 7.