James Fishback, a fourth-generation Floridian and business owner, is running for Florida governor in the August 18 Republican primary. His campaign centers on three issues: stopping data center development statewide, eliminating property taxes for Florida residents, and bringing down the overall cost of living, including homeowners insurance. He joined The Current by TreasureCoast.com to lay out his platform and his vision for the state’s future.
Key positions Fishback discussed in the conversation:
- Banning new data center development statewide by preventing county-level approval
- Eliminating property taxes for Florida homestead residents
- Lowering homeowners insurance premiums and cracking down on claim denials
- Down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and limits on institutional home buyers
- A permanent increase in teacher pay
- Deregulation and reduced filing costs for small businesses
Affordability, Insurance, and Property Taxes
Affordability was the centerpiece of Fishback’s message. He said the departure of insurance companies from Florida’s market has reduced competition and driven up premiums across auto, property, and health insurance, and he called for cracking down on fraudulent claims while making it easier for policyholders to receive timely payouts.
On property taxes, Fishback said statewide revenue has grown substantially faster than the pace of improvements to roads, schools, and public safety, and he questioned where that additional revenue has gone. He proposed eliminating homestead property taxes entirely, funded by new revenue sources aimed at visitors and out-of-state buyers rather than Florida residents, including a tourism-related fee and adjusted toll rates for non-resident drivers.
Property Tax Reform & Amendment 3
Asked about Florida’s Amendment 3, Fishback said he plans to vote for it but does not expect it to pass, citing a lack of active campaigning behind it. He said the measure does not go far enough to protect local government services while still delivering meaningful tax relief. He argued that any successful property tax overhaul needs to both cut costs for families and preserve funding for police, fire, and schools, and said building that kind of plan would require input from officials across both parties as well as local law enforcement and school leaders.
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Teacher Pay & Public Education
Fishback said Florida’s teacher pay ranks at the bottom nationally and called for a substantial, permanent increase indexed to inflation, arguing that better pay is necessary to recruit and retain effective teachers. He also criticized what he described as excessive school district administrative overhead, saying he would look to reduce bureaucratic staffing to help fund higher teacher salaries. He said further details on funding are outlined on his campaign website.
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Fishback said Florida’s regulatory environment, including filing fees and paperwork requirements, makes it harder for small businesses to start and compete with larger companies. He proposed reducing regulatory burdens and increasing access to private capital for Florida-based small businesses, arguing that more competition among local businesses would help address affordability more broadly.
Homeownership & Housing Policy
On housing, Fishback proposed a zero-interest, one-time down payment loan program for first-time buyers. He also said he would work to limit large-scale institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes in Florida and would restrict foreign nationals from buying single-family residential property in the state. He argued that reducing competition from investors and out-of-state buyers would help more Florida residents move from renting into homeownership.
Immigration & Workforce Policy
Fishback said federal immigration policy in recent years has placed strain on Florida communities and called for tighter enforcement focused on individuals who pose a public safety risk, while saying he would not prioritize removal of longtime residents without criminal records. On the H-1B visa program, he criticized the use of foreign labor visas by companies operating in Florida, arguing that some employers use the program to reduce labor costs at the expense of hiring locally. He said he would pursue state-level financial disincentives for companies he believes misuse the program, while acknowledging it is a federally administered visa category.
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Growth, Data Centers, and Conservation
Fishback said unchecked development, including the expansion of large data center facilities, threatens land, water supply, and electricity costs in Florida. He said he opposes new data center development in the state entirely and considers it a defining issue of his campaign, saying he raised the issue publicly before it became a widely discussed topic in the race.
He also spoke about his personal connection to Florida’s agricultural and ranching history, citing family ties to citrus farming and cattle ranching, and said he wants the state’s growth policy to reflect the character of an earlier Florida rather than continued large-scale commercial and residential expansion.
Listeners interested in how other Treasure Coast leaders have approached growth and development pressure may want to hear TreasureCoast.com’s conversation with former Stuart mayor Chris Collins.
Water Quality and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fishback was critical of the FWC’s current leadership, arguing the agency has not sufficiently prioritized conservation over development interests. He said that, as governor, he would have the opportunity to appoint new commissioners to the board and would prioritize candidates with conservation backgrounds. He specifically referenced Lake Okeechobee and the broader Everglades system as areas he considers priorities for water quality protection.
Readers interested in regional water quality issues can find related coverage in TreasureCoast.com’s conversations on statewide water policy and the Florida Oceanographic Society’s ecosystem work, and can learn more about the Lake Okeechobee region on TreasureCoast.com.
An Accountability Contract and a Vision for Florida’s Future
Fishback said he has signed a public, notarized commitment outlining specific policy promises, saying that failing to uphold them would bar him from seeking reelection in 2030. He described it as a way to hold himself accountable to voters beyond typical campaign promises.
Asked about his long-term vision, Fishback said the best model for Florida’s future is the state’s own past, when Florida had a slower pace of growth, less commercial development, and an economy rooted in agriculture and tourism. He said his goal is to protect what remains of that older Florida rather than pursue continued expansion.
Fishback pointed voters to his campaign website for more information on his platform ahead of the August 18 Republican primary.
