4 March 26 - april 1, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | FISHIN’ FOR FUNDS James Fishback’s attorney says he owes $150,000 in legal fees. BY ALEX DELUCA A mid his rage-bait- driven, white-suprem- acy-laden run for Florida governor, James Fishback has faced mount- ing financial troubles. In September 2025, the 35-year-old far- right Republican candidate’s 2022 Tesla Model Y was repossessed by U.S. Marshals over a debt of more than $200,000 owed to his former employer. In early March, leaked text messages reported by The Bulwark re- vealed that Fishback’s staffers believed that the feds had also seized his couch (yes, his couch) amid his growing personal financial woes. And campaign finance records show that as of December, the long-shot candidate had raised just $22,000 in campaign funds — a stark contrast to his opponent, Byron Don- alds, who has raked in tens of millions. Now, Fishback appears to have another problem: an attorney in one of several law- suits he’s facing is seeking to withdraw, claiming Fishback owes him and his firm $150,000. As first reported by The Bulwark’s Will Sommer, attorney Justin Kelton of Abrams Fensterman, LLP asked U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on March 18 for permis- sion to withdraw as Fishback’s counsel in a lawsuit filed by his former employer. The suit, filed in 2024 by Greenlight Capital, accuses Fishback of a range of actions, including breach of contract and defaming the com- pany to attract investors. The reason for withdrawing? Kelton says Fishback owes the law firm more than $150,000 in legal fees. “Defendant has informed the Firm that (i) he is unable to pay the outstanding and over- due balance, and (ii) he will not be able to pay fees that may be incurred for any fu- ture work that may be required going for- ward,” the motion reads. According to his attorney, as work pro- gressed, Fishback was “unable to keep cur- rent with the fees and costs incurred.” They say most of the $150,000 has been outstand- ing for nearly five months. “Defendant and I have discussed these circumstances repeat- edly, and Defendant does not dispute that the Firm is owed substantial fees and costs that have been outstanding and overdue for a sub- stantial period,” the motion reads. As of March 19, Kelton was still listed as Fishback’s attorney for the case. In response to New Times’ request for comment about his attorneys’ motion to withdraw, Fishback sent the following via text message: “I owe my mom $20.67 for Chipotle last night. She is the only one I’ll be paying back.” During his campaign, Fishback has earned the nickname “Groyper candidate” while courting Gen-Z men and aligning himself with the likes of white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes. He’s faced regular criticism for his racist remarks about his opponent, Byron Donalds, whom he has called a “slave to donors” and a “token Black” in Congress who wants to turn Florida into a “Section 8 ghetto.” He’s also suggested a fifty percent “hoe tax” on OnlyFans creators and faced sexual misconduct allegations involving a 17-year- old student from a debate club he ran (he was supposedly 27 at the time of the alleged relationship). [email protected] Finance records show that as of December, the long-shot candidate had raised just $22,000 in campaign funds. Screenshot via James Fishback/YouTube | METRO | Break Out the Sharpie Trump gave disaster relief to “not in hurricane zone” Cuba. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN P resident Donald Trump told reporters last week at the White House that Cuba is not in a hurricane zone, which was news to meteorologists everywhere and to his own ad- ministration. He began his remarks by calling Cuba a “beautiful island” with “great weather.” “They’re not in a hurricane zone, which is nice for a change, you know?” he continued. “They won’t be asking us for money for hurricanes every week...I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba. That’s a big honor.” But the president seems to have forgotten that just two months ago, his administration de- livered $3 million in disaster relief to Cuba after Hurricane Melissa slammed the island last Octo- ber as a Category 3 storm. Melissa destroyed homes, blocked roads, and left thousands of people without water and power. The Trump administration said it sent charter flights from Miami in mid-January to bring food kits, hygiene and water treatment kits, house- hold items, and kitchen supplies to 24,000 peo- ple in the hardest-hit areas of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, and Guantanamo. The admin- istration was working with the Catholic Church to ensure “assistance reaches the Cuban people di- rectly and without regime interference.” “The United States remains steadfast in sup- porting the Cuban people’s post-disaster recov- ery,” a January 26 press release from the U.S. Department of State reads. “The first in a series of shipments of humanitarian assistance are de- signed to reach those most in need, bypassing regime interference, and ensuring transparency and accountability. Our humanitarian assistance is part of a broader effort to stand with the Cu- ban people as they seek a better future.” A month later, in February, the U.S. an- nounced that it would deliver an additional $6 million in supplies amid an ongoing humanitarian and energy crisis, especially for those still af- fected by last year’s storm. As the New York Times pointed out ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s landfall in Cuba, in a story headlined “Cuba Is No Stranger to Hurricanes,” 10 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) have hit the island. Melissa has since brought that total up to 11. At least two storms were major Category 5 storms, including Hurricane Irma in 2017, which brought maximum wind speeds of 167 miles per hour to the northern coast of the island. In response to Trump’s outlandish claim, Miami meteorologist John Morales wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “The Sharpie in his brain at work .” It appears Morales is referring to a snafu from 2019, when Trump showed a National Weather Service map of Hurricane Dorian’s path that seemed to have been altered with a black marker to include Alabama. New Times reached out to the White House for comment. [email protected] “I OWE MY MOM $20.67 FOR CHIPOTLE LAST NIGHT. SHE IS THE ONLY ONE I’LL BE PAYING BACK.” Just two months ago, the Trump administration delivered $3 million in disaster relief to Cuba. Screenshot via WPLG Local 10/YouTube
