Florida Candidate Accused of Withholding Debate Scholarship Payment

James Fishback, a Republican candidate for governor of Florida, has been accused of failing to pay a high school student, Briana Whatley, scholarship money she won through Incubate Debate, a debate competition he founded. Whatley was named a regional and national champion in the competition. The amount reported as owed is described as approaching $11,000, with Fishback characterizing the non-payment as an oversight. Details on the specific dates of the competition, the exact payment amount, and any documentation of the award remain drawn from a single published account, limiting independent corroboration of precise figures. Fishback's response, that the failure to pay was an oversight rather than a deliberate act, has been reported but not independently verified by a second source. Separately, in Oklahoma, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei declined an invitation to participate in a runoff debate organized by NonDoc and KSWO 7News following the state's June 16 primary election. This development is unrelated to the Florida scholarship dispute and involves a different candidate, state, and set of circumstances. No further details on Mazzei's reasons for declining or subsequent scheduling of debates were available in the supplied reporting.