Florida sports magnate and billionaire Wayne Huizenga died Friday at the age of 80, his family announced. Huizenga, who also spent his life founding Fortune 500 companies, was part owner of MLB's Florida Marlins, NHL's Florida Panthers and NFL's Miami Dolphins at one point in time. 

Huizenga's daughter, Pamela Huizenga Alexander, confirmed his death to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Huizenga was noted outside of the sports world for founding three Fortune 500 companies: Waste Management, Blockbuster Video and AutoNation. 

"Wayne was our founder, and we would not be the company we are today without the spirit, drive, energy, and vision he gave us," AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said in a statement. "To me personally, today, I lost both my mentor and my best friend, H. Wayne Huizenga. Alice and I will miss the sparkle in his eye we came to love."

But it was Huizenga's ownership of a trio of South Florida sports teams that made him a very public sports figure in the 1990s. 

Huizenga began his ownership with the Dolphins, purchasing part of the football franchise in 1990 as late owner Joe Robbie's family dealt with financial hardship. He would later purchase the entire team and what would become SunLife Stadium for $200 million. 

The Dolphins would never experience the success they had under Robbie while Huizenga owned the team. 

"I owned the Dolphins for 20 years, and every year, I'd say it was going to be better, and always something happens, whether it's injuries or the quarterback doesn't work out like he's supposed to," Huizenga said in 2010. "Every year has been a disappointment compared to expectations."

He did bring former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson into the fold as a coach.

But that also meant the end of Don Shula's run, as well as the end of Dan Marino's career, came while Huizenga owned the team. It was not an easy transition period, and Huizenga likely got a bad rap as Dolphins owner given what was expected. 

Huizenga would sell 95 percent of the Dolphins to current owner Stephen Ross in 2009 for $1 billion. 

The Marlins were a much more successful team, not to mention one of two instances where Huizenga brought a sports franchise to South Florida. 

The Florida Marlins, now known as the Miami Marlins, began their journey as an MLB franchise in 1993 after Huizenga secured the rights to an expansion franchise. The Marlins shoved all-in before the 1997 season, signing a ton of veterans, and eventually won the World Series. Huizenga would tear the roster apart and sell the team shortly thereafter, a move that did not sit well with local sports fans.

The Florida Panthers, which also began play in 1993, made the Stanley Cup finals in 1996, but have not experience immense success since. 

Huizenga, according to the Miami Herald, is survived by four children -- Wayne Jr., Ray, Scott and Pamela -- and 11 grandchildren. His wife Marti died in early 2017.