Westgate Resorts founder David Siegel dies

David Siegel, founder of Westgate Resorts, died Saturday, April 5, 2025. He was 89.

In an official statement, the Siegel family said Mr. Siegel’s spent his final days surrounded by the ones he loved most.

“David’s last months were spent surrounded by his loving wife Jacqueline, his children, extended family and close friends,” the family said in the statement.

Mr. Siegel established Westgate Resorts in 1982, with its first property on an orange grove he owned in Kissimmee. It has since become the largest privately held timeshare company in the world and one of the largest resort developers in the United States. 

The empire he built includes more than 13,500 rooms at 22 resorts across the United States. In 40 years, Mr. Siegel built Westgate Resorts into the largest private employer in Central Florida. Most recently, he announced an expansion of more than 44 resort destinations set to close this year with the acquisition of Vacation Ownership Sales the management and development company of VI Resorts.

“David never forgot his humble roots, starting Westgate in his garage and using the company as a way to lead others to become inspired and successful,” Westgate Resorts CEO Jim Gissy said. “David worked hard to leave us a company that will continue to preserve its family origins, and the significant resources and ambition to instill joy in the lives we touch through the hospitality we provide.

“It was David’s enduring wish that the spirit of what makes Westgate successful — entrepreneurialism, customer satisfaction and quality product that is at the heart of our DNA — will be the guiding principles of the next generation of leadership at our company,” he said. “We know that we are all up to the task of driving forward the legacy of this visionary man and the company he founded.”

During his career, Mr. Siegel received an honorary doctoral degree from Florida A&M University, ARDA’s ACE Philanthropy Award, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida. In 2013, he was inducted into the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame by the University of Central Florida. Earlier this year, ARDA honored Siegel with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to his business achievements, Mr. Siegel also will be remembered for his work solving the nation’s drug epidemic — a cause he adopted in 2015 after his daughter, Victoria, died of an overdose.

He founded the Victoria’s Voice Foundation to honor Victoria and advocated for the widespread availability of Naloxone, lobbying Congress and raising awareness on the issue. Some of his accomplishments include Victoria’s Law in Florida, which mobilized the Department of Health and other statewide agencies to focus on awareness and tackling this epidemic. On a national level as well as within Florida, he was instrumental in passing a law that declared June 6 — the day of Victoria’s passing — as National Naloxone Awareness Day, with more than 100 landmarks around the country lighting up purple to create awareness of this issue. 

His efforts also led to the passing of the CARA Act, a federal law that unlocked significant funds to be used toward fighting the drug epidemic. His goal was to rally affected families around the leading cause of unnatural death among young people.

As a U.S. Air Force veteran, Mr. Siegel has donated more than 28,000 complimentary vacations to members of our armed services in appreciation for their service to our country. The Westgate Foundation recently distributed grants of $1.5 million to community-focused organizations across the United States.

Mr. Siegel was also an active and contributing leader in the West Orange and Southwest Orange communities.

“The Rosen JCC is deeply saddened by the passing of David Siegel,” Rosen CEO Ofira Bondorowsky said. “As an early and devoted supporter, Mr. Siegel played a pivotal role in helping establish and sustain the Rosen JCC as a vital part of our community. His children were part of our preschool family, and the dedication of our Event Center lobby in memory of his beloved daughter, Victoria, stands as a lasting tribute to the Siegel family’s legacy. We join the greater community in mourning his loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to the Siegel family. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.”

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings called Mr. Siegel a “visionary leader and compassionate advocate.”

“His work in building Westgate Resorts into a global leader, alongside his dedication to preventing opioid abuse through the Victoria’s Voice Foundation created to honor the memory of his daughter, has left an indelible mark on our community and beyond,” he said.

Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association officials said Mr. Siegel was a “true icon within the hospitality and real-estate industries.”

“He was also a generous leader, a champion for his team, and a passionate advocate for addiction prevention following the tragic loss of his daughter Victoria,” they said. “Furthermore, David's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to growth reshaped the vacation ownership industry in Central Florida and beyond.”

Mr. Siegel is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Siegel; daughters, Stacey Siegel, Valerie Drinkwater, Deborah Siegel, Jacqueline Siegel and Jordan Siegel; sons, Richard Siegel, David Siegel, Daniel Siegel and Drew Siegel; stepdaughters, Kelly Hite and Janet Maland; 12 grandchildren and step-grandchildren; and brother, Barry Siegel.

Mr. Siegel was predeceased by his daughter, Victoria “Rikki” Siegel; his oldest son, Steven Siegel; brother Norman Siegel; and his parents, Sidney and Sadelle Siegel.

“David’s spirit lives on in the thousands of lives he touched, via the jobs his companies created, the hospitality he enabled, the charities and communities he supported, the important policy issues he helped shape, and simply by the network of extended close friends he maintained throughout his life,” the family said in a statement. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have felt during this time, and we ask for privacy while we grieve this difficult loss.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Victoria's Voice Foundation to further Mr. Siegel’s battle against the drug pandemic.