Rubio's tax returns show that his income increased from $82,710 in 2000 when he was elected to the Florida House to $301,864 in 2004 -- the year he stepped on the political track to become House Speaker, one of the Legislature's most powerful posts.
During his last year in Tallahassee, Rubio earned nearly $400,000, with the bulk of the money coming from the Miami law firm of Broad & Cassell.
Gov. Charlie Crist, who has made public his tax records and is now running as an independent candidate against Rubio, has been pushing the Republican front-runner to release his tax records since late March. The leading Democrat in the Senate race, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, released his returns earlier this week.
Unlike Crist and Meek, Rubio did not release itemized tax deductions that would show property taxes and interest paid on mortgages.
The records Rubio posted Friday on his campaign web site are expected to be reviewed by the Internal Revenue Service as part of its inquiry into his use of an American Express card issued by the Republican Party of Florida.
The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times reported in April that the IRS is also looking at spending of party donations by Jim Greer, the former party chairman, and Delmar Johnson, the former executive director. The IRS requires party money to be spent exclusively on political activities.
Rubio frequently used the party credit card for personal use, though he has said he covered those expenses with about $16,000 in checks to American Express. As a lawmaker, he also raised about $600,000 for two political committees that reimbursed him for tens of thousands of dollars in unitemized meals and travel expenses.
After term limits forced Rubio to leave office in 2008, he started his own law firm and stitched together an income from a number of clients and consulting contracts. In February 2009, he launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate that involved constant travel for public appearances and private fundraising events.
Since 2009, Rubio has earned $230,754 from his law firm, $60,265 in consulting fees and $72,674 from his teaching job at Florida International University, according to a personal financial disclosure form he filed last week with the Secretary of the Senate.
Rubio's recent sources of income include a number of South Florida institutions that regularly lobby in Tallahassee for millions of dollars in state funding.
He and former legislative aide, Vivian Bovo, signed consulting contracts worth $102,000 and $96,000 with Miami Children's and Jackson Memorial hospitals, respectively. Rubio has said his FIU hiring had nothing to do with his support for the university getting a medical school.
His campaign said his taxes from 2000 to 2008 totaled $410,000 and that he contributed more than $66,000 to charity. Rubio did not release his 2009 tax return because he has filed for an extension. Over the years, Rubio, who is married with four children, has carried a heavy personal debt.
More than $900,000 in home, car and student loans deflated his net worth to $8,332 in November 2008 when he left public office, according to his state financial disclosure form.
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