James Fishback, a far-right Republican candidate in Florida’s 2026 governor’s race, is facing a lawsuit from Briana Whatley, a high school debate champion, over unpaid scholarship money totaling $8,000. Whatley won the awards as the regional and national champion of Incubate Debate, a competition founded by Fishback to promote youth engagement in political discourse.

A recording from May 2024 posted by Fishback shows Whatley, now a second-year history student at Florida State University, accepting a $10,000 check for winning the 2024 Incubate Debate national championship, in addition to two $500 area awards she had previously received. However, according to Florida Politics, Whatley alleges that Fishback failed to deliver $8,000 of the promised scholarship money, which a letter from Incubate Foundation Inc—the parent company of Incubate Debate—had guaranteed to pay in full on her high school graduation day in May 2025.

The lawsuit names Fishback, 31, who is competing for the Republican nomination against US congressman Byron Donalds and Florida’s lieutenant governor Jay Collins. The complaint accuses Fishback of evading communications, blaming a terminated employee for the award terms, falsely claiming an unwritten installment policy, and delaying payment for months. Documents reveal Fishback admitted in a November 2025 text that he “totally dropped the ball on this one” and subsequently paid only $3,000 via Zelle in December 2025.

Whatley also claims Fishback ceased communication five months ago after she inquired about a promised installment due on February 1, 2026. This legal dispute follows a May 2023 incident where Fishback and Whatley jointly criticized the National Speech and Debate Association, a rival to Incubate Debate, over censorship concerns.

Separately, a judge in Tallahassee ruled that Fishback did not violate Florida’s residency requirement for gubernatorial candidates, despite having purchased a condo in Washington DC in 2020, declaring it his primary residence, and voting there.

Sources