By the numbers: The top 10 highest-paid CEOs in South Florida

Most of South Florida’s top executives at public companies got hefty raises last year. Their most recent annual pay is revealed in spring 2019 securities filings.

Why are CEOs paid so much? It’s a “tough job” and a competitive market, said Todd Manas, managing director of global advisory firm Willis Towers Watson in New York. “There’s a lot of pressure in the market for highly skilled executives,” he said. “The market drives pay.”

As part of their total compensation, CEOs get a lot of long-term stock awards, which like the company stock can go up or down in value. That type of compensation has swelled because shareholders like to see executive pay “aligned with their own interest,” which is their own stock price going up, Manas said.

But in 2018, some CEOs had lower incentive bonuses. That usually means the company didn’t make its goals for the year, Manas said.