James Fishback, the CEO of the investment firm Azoria, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor of Florida with a platform that calls for the eliminating of property taxes.
The 30-year-old Fishback made his announcement on X with a post that declared, “I’m running to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next Republican Governor to make life more affordable for you and your family. I’ll stop the H-1B scam, tell Blackstone they can’t buy our homes, cancel AI Data Centers, and abolish property taxes.”
Fishback said he was seeking to protect Florida’s ecosystem from overdevelopment, responding to a question on X by stating, “I’m a fourth-generation Floridian who grew up here enjoying our state’s God-given beauty, and we need to conserve our environment so our kids/grandkids can enjoy it just as we did. I am 100% committed to continuing Everglades restoration, cleaning our waterways, conserving our state parks, standing with our anglers and hunters, and stopping the construction of ‘AI data centers’ that would threaten our water supply and raise our electric bills.”
Fishback has gained visibility through media appearances where he spoke in favor of President Trump’s agenda, although he differed from the White House is criticizing the proposed 50-year mortgage to encourage affordable homeownership. He has also been vocal on corporate ownership of residential real estate, an issue that the Trump administration has not touched.
ABC News reports Fishback unsuccessfully lobbied the White House for the Federal Reserve governor position that became open this summer with the resignation of Adriana Kugler. Rep. Byron Donalds has been endorsed for the GOP nomination by Trump, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has been critical of Donalds and has yet to endorse any candidate to succeed him. Fishback accused Donalds of being a Washington insider who was not focused on the state’s residents, stating on X, “Right off the bat, unlike H-1Byron, I am *not* in the pocket of developers or corporations that want to pave over every inch of our state.” Donalds did not comment on Fishback’s announcement.
