V. Raymond Ferrara

Founder, Executive Chair & CCO, ProVise Management Group, Clearwater

Founded in 1986 by Ferrara, ProVise is a financial planning and investment management firm with offices in Clearwater and Tampa. Its 30 employees serve about 1,100 families in more than 30 states, with $1.9 billion of assets under management. Ferrara serves on the boards of BayCare, Morton Plant Mease, Amplify Clearwater, Eckerd Connects and USF Muma College of Business Executive Advisory Council, among others.

EDUCATION: University of Maryland (BS)

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: While many might choose the insurance crisis, I choose another — health care. After safety and affordable housing, good health care bubbles up. As of the end of 2022, 11.2% of Floridians (approximately 2.6 million people) were uninsured. About one million are eligible under Obamacare and many would pay nothing. Another 1 million might be covered if Florida were to expand Medicaid, ensuring that almost everyone has affordable access to good quality health care.

READING: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: Be fearless in your willingness to help others, to explore, to surround yourself with others smarter than you, to show your appreciation, to mentor others, and to not take yourself too seriously.