State fines James Fishback-connected PAC for missing deadlines on quarterly reports

A political committee promoting Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback failed to file financial reports on time. Now, the Florida Division of Elections has levied a late fine.

Florida First PAC, which launched in November but raised no money in 2025, received a letter from the Florida Department of State on April 14, four days after the deadline for committees to file quarterly reports for the first three months of 2026.

The committee, chaired by Emma Wright of Madison, filed its report on April 13, three days late.

“By law, you are automatically assessed a late fine of $150,” reads a letter from Bureau of Election Records Chief Ikay Reeve.

That may be a modest amount, considering the committee reported nearly $177,000 in donations in the quarter. But it shows sloppiness in the bookkeeping for the effort to elect a 30-year-old who is already plagued by litigation with a former employer and whose eligibility to run is already in question.

Fishback did not return a request for comment on this article. Notably, the campaign is dedicated to aiding his candidacy, but he is not listed as the chair or treasurer. Calles to Wright and to Treasurer Alexander Munguia were also not returned.

State records show that on April 13, the date the records were filed, Wright requested a PIN change to reset credentials for the political committee and to use its online portal.

Munguia had previously served as chair of the committee, but Wright took over that role on Feb. 3.

Database researcher Mark Glaeser first spotlighted the fine on X.

Of note, there appear to be other ways in which the committee is not operated with the same transparency as other committees supporting gubernatorial candidates. While political committees need only to report quarterly in the state’s campaign finance database, most provide weekly updates on fundraising and expenditures on a dedicated website,

The Florida First PAC includes a mission statement and disclosure of its support for Fishback, but does not provide any clear link to financial reports.