TALLAHASSEE — James Fishback, a 31-year-old gubernatorial candidate making his first run for public office, will stay on the Republican primary in August, despite a legal challenge to his residential qualifications.
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Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank issued a ruling late Monday in Fishback’s favor. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins had filed a lawsuit asking to disqualify Fishback and throw him off the ballot.
Collins, who is also seeking the GOP nomination for Florida governor, claimed Fishback has not lived in Florida long enough to meet the seven-year residency requirement because he lived and voted in D.C. until 2022.
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Gubernatorial candidates in Florida must be residents and registered voters of the state for the preceding seven years. Records the Sentinel obtained in April suggested Fishback has resided here for no more than the last four.
Fishback, the provocative candidate with a penchant for slinging racial and anti-Semitic slurs that appeals to certain Gen Z crowds, and Collins both trail well behind Congressman Byron Donalds of Naples, the frontrunner in the GOP race for governor. The primary is Aug. 18.
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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.