Wayne Huizenga Harry Wayne Huizenga ( ; born December 29 , 1939 in Evergreen Park , Illinois ) is an American businessman . He grew Blockbuster Video , Waste Management , Inc . , and AutoNation into successful companies . He is the former owner of the National Football League ' s Miami Dolphins , the National Hockey League ' s Florida Panthers and the Major League Baseball ' s Miami Marlins . Background . H . Wayne Huizenga is of Dutch descent . His parents , Gerrit Harry and Jean Huizenga , were both products of the Chicago Dutch community . Wayne was born in Evergreen Park , a Chicago suburb , on December 29 , 1939 . He has one sister , Bonnie , who is five years younger . Huizenga grew up in Evergreen Park until he was about 15 when his family moved to Florida and settled in the Fort Lauderdale area . He spent part of his high school years in the Chicago area , where he attended Timothy Christian School . His family then moved to Florida , the remainder of his high school years were spent at Pine Crest School . Huizenga is remembered by his Pine Crest teachers and classmates as a happy and popular student who played on the school ' s football team , was elected to senior class treasurer , and earned decent grades . After high school graduation he moved back to Chicago where most of his friends , grandparents and other relatives still lived . In 1956 he enrolled at Calvin College , a liberal arts college in Grand Rapids , Michigan . In September 1959 , Huizenga enlisted in the Army reserve and spent six months in the service full time to complete his basic training . On September 10 , 1960 he married Joyce VanderWagon , a woman with a Dutch background . He had known Joyce since his early school years in Evergreen Park , Illinois . Wayne and Joyce had two children , Wayne Jr . and Scott . The marriage ended in divorce in 1966 . Huizenga married his second wife , Marti Goldsby , in April 1972 . Professional career . Starting with a single garbage truck in 1968 , he grew Waste Management , Inc . into an entity that would become a Fortune 500 company . Huizenga aggressively purchased independent garbage hauling companies , and by the time he took the company public in 1972 , he had completed the acquisition of 133 small - time haulers . By 1983 , he grew Waste Management into the largest waste disposal company in the United States . Huizenga repeated his business success with Blockbuster Video , opening a handful of stores in 1987 , and becoming the country ' s leading movie rental chain by 1994 . Eventually , he would also build and acquire auto dealerships , from which in 1996 he formed AutoNation , which has become the nation ' s largest automotive dealer and a Fortune 500 company , and remains his most recent major business venture . Huizenga has been a five - time recipient of " Financial World " magazine ' s " CEO of the Year " award , and was the Ernst & Young " 2005 World Entrepreneur of the Year " . In late 2004 , he sold his ownership share in a group of hotels that included The Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel and Radisson Bahia Mar Hotel & Marina in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , The Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton , Florida , and several others in Naples , Florida and Arizona . In 2004 , he purchased the private luxury yacht " Aussie Rules " from the Australian boat builder and the golfer Greg Norman . The yacht cost $ 77 million and was further modified by Huizenga and now features a helipad for a twelve - seat helicopter . " Aussie Rules " was renamed " Floridian " after his private golf course designed by Gary Player . In 2010 , Huizenga reconnected with Steve Berrard , former CEO of Blockbuster Video and AutoNation , to take Swisher Hygiene public . Swisher Hygiene trades on the Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange . Swisher Hygiene was previously CoolBrands International inc . Sports team ownership . Huizenga currently owns 5 % of the Miami Dolphins , as well as 5 % of Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens . He held 50 % of the team and stadium until January 2009 when he sold a 45 % stake to Stephen M . Ross . He purchased 15 % of the team and their sports venue in 1990 , during a period of financial hardship for the franchise . Long time owner Joe Robbie had recently died and his family found it difficult to keep the team afloat . In turn , Huizenga bought out the remaining shares of the team to become full owner in 1993 . He then pulled the Joe Robbie name off the building and sold that space to a corporate sponsor who later went under ( Pro Player ) . It has since been renamed Dolphins Stadium , Dolphin Stadium , LandShark Stadium , and Sun Life Stadium . On February 22 , 2008 , he sold 50 % of the Miami Dolphins and 50 % of the then Dolphin Stadium to Stephen M . Ross , a New York City - based real estate developer and founder , chairman and CEO of The Related Companies . Huizenga is notable for introducing both baseball and hockey to the South Florida area as the initial owner of the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers . He was criticized for naming his two teams for the state of Florida rather than the city of Miami , but as an advocate for the city of Fort Lauderdale , he explained that his goal was to include Broward County and Palm Beach County in his teams ' fanbase . ( Indeed , he claimed at the time that he had not even considered naming the teams after " Miami " as an option , and that in his view the only legitimate choices had been " Florida , " " South Florida , " and " Tri - County . " ) Huizenga , in keeping with his previously stated intentions , sold the Marlins to current Boston Red Sox owner John Henry at the end of the 1998 season . Since then , however , relations between Huizenga and new Marlins management has been tepid , mainly because of stadium lease disagreements . Huizenga operated the Panthers as a public holding company , buying numerous real estate properties in the name of his Panthers Holding Group . In 2001 , he sold the Panthers to pharmaceutical juggernaut and friend Alan Cohen and his partner , former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar , for a discount price . In all three team ownerships , he is very well known for minimizing costs while maximizing profits . Huizenga , while attempting to build his sporting empire in South Florida , attempted to purchase the NBA ' s Miami Heat , but was unsuccessful . Philanthropy . Huizenga is a large donor to Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale , Florida . The business school there is named H . Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship in his honor . He has also donated to Pine Crest School , a private preparatory school , with their science building named the Huizenga Science Building after him . Huizenga was inducted into the Junior Achievement U . S . Business Hall of Fame in 2006 . He is a board member of the Laureus Foundation , a charity that celebrates the universal power of sport to bring people together as a force for good and uses the passion that sport inspires to effect social change across the globe . Huizenga received the prestigious Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Award in 1992 for his active role in funding scholarships throughout Florida . His donations also help the National Scholar scholarships presented annually by Horatio Alger , and the association named him the 2008 Norman Vincent Peale Award recipient , the highest honor bestowed upon any member . In 2012 , the City of Fort Lauderdale , FL renamed Southeast 9th Street in the Rio Vista neighborhood " Wayne Huizenga Blvd " . External links . Horatio Alger Association official site , for information on the association through which Huizenga distributes financial aid to students .