Far-right Republican accused of stiffing student debate champion of $8,000
Briana Whatley sues Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback for unpaid scholarship from company he founded
Source excerpt
A far-right Republican candidate in Florida’s governor’s race has been accused of stiffing a high school debate champion over the better part of $11,000 in scholarship money she won from a company he founded.
Student Briana Whatley landed the awards as regional and national champion of Incubate Debate, a league-style competition set up by the candidate, James Fishback, to encourage youth to engage in political discourse.
A recording posted to Substack by Fishback in May 2024 shows Whatley, now a second-year history student at Florida State University, accepting a $10,000 check for besting seven other finalists in the 2024 Incubate Debate national championship, adding to two $500 area awards she previously won.
According to Florida Politics, Whatley is suing Fishback for not delivering $8,000 of the money that a letter from the company promised would be paid to her in full on the day she graduated high school in May last year.
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