Florida school district cut ties with GOP candidate James Fishback in 2022 over sexual misconduct allegations
One of Florida’s largest school districts cut ties in 2022 with James Fishback, now a Republican candidate for governor, following allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a student who was a minor at the time, according to interviews and records reviewed by NBC News.
Earlier this year, the woman, Keinah Fort, went to court asking for an order of protection against Fishback. She said he “initiated a romantic relationship” with her in spring 2022 — and directed her to keep it a secret — when, she said, he was 27 and she was 17 and working for his group Incubate Debate. Fishback founded the organization in 2019, partnering with school districts in Florida to build debate programs for middle and high school students.
Fort said in court records that they lived together and were briefly engaged after she turned 18. During that time, Fishback lost his temper and threw things at her “on multiple occasions,” according to the court filings, which were first reported by Florida Politics.
Fishback, in response, claimed that Fort suffered from mental health issues that predated their relationship and presented evidence that he said showed she wanted to “rekindle” their relationship as recently as December 2024. He also claimed that she was going after him and Incubate Debate after she worked for a competing organization. Fishback has denied wrongdoing.
The judge denied Fort’s petition, which centered not on whether their initial relationship was inappropriate but on whether Fishback harassed her after they broke up. The judge ruled that he did not.
NBC News emailed Fishback a series of specific questions, most of which he did not directly address. He broadly called the allegations “completely false.”
“These allegations from several years ago are completely false, and after two lengthy court hearings in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, I was fully exonerated. I have never been arrested, charged, or convicted of any crime,” Fishback wrote to NBC News in a statement.
Fort did not respond to requests seeking comment.
Fishback is a political newcomer who jumped into the 2026 campaign in November, running as a backer of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda. He has since faced criticism for his social media posts, particularly those aimed at Rep. Byron Donalds, the front-runner in the Republican primary, who is backed by President Donald Trump. Fishback has repeatedly called Donalds, who is Black, a “slave” to his political donors and has praised followers of Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist known for his white nationalist and antisemitic views, as “impressive.”
In the wake of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Fishback spoke about his work with debate teams, saying he started his group because “high school debate went woke.”
New reporting from NBC News sheds light on the blowback Fishback faced three years ago around allegations that he had an improper relationship with Fort.
In September 2022, Aebony Moore emailed four Broward County School District officials alleging that Fishback had an inappropriate relationship with Fort. Her daughter, Demi, was a student in Okaloosa County in the northern part of the state and held a leadership role in Fishback’s organization.
“James Fishback has been having an inappropriate relationship with a minor, who is in a leadership role for Incubate Debate,” Moore wrote at the time from an anonymous email address.
Moore confirmed to NBC News that she was the author of the email and that she was referring to Fort, the first time she has done so publicly. She said she also sent emails — a copy of which was viewed by NBC News — to at least four additional Florida school districts where the debate program had a presence. A Broward County School District official said the email is authentic.
The email also said Incubate Debate participants witnessed “inappropriate” behavior between Fishback and the student during a trip to a Fishback family home.
The Broward County School District said that when it was made aware of the allegations outlined in Moore’s 2022 email, it cut ties with Fishback and his organization.
“Shortly after receiving concerns from that parent via email, we ended his volunteer work,” John Sullivan, the district’s chief of staff, told NBC News.
Fishback said it was “unclear” to him what Broward was referring to.
“We have never had any ties, contracts, or financial relationships with the Broward County School District and never will,” he said in a statement. “Broward has pushed DEI, transgenderism, and radical left-wing ideology on our kids. As Governor, I will use my authority under Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution to remove Broward School Board Members who violate the public trust.”
Moore also sent the Glades County School District a version of the email, which NBC News viewed. An official there said it did not have a negative experience with the program.
“I was not aware of this email at the time it was sent, as it was not directed to me nor reported to my office,” Glades County Superintendent Alice Barfield said.
In an interview with NBC News, Demi Moore said she remembered one trip in 2022 when program participants went to a Fishback family home in Winter Haven.
“I was uncomfortable witnessing their interactions throughout the entire trip,” she said, speaking publicly about the allegations for the first time. “They acted more like a couple than student and mentor, and I became convinced that something was going on.”
The allegations concerned Nicole Castillo, an Incubate Debate advisory board member who resigned in February 2023. In her resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, she said that the allegations were “alarming” and that she was frustrated that Fishback made no mention of them to the board.
“Regardless of the veracity of these allegations, the underlying Incubate-sanctioned practices should raise alarms,” she wrote. “Leading an organization that serves minor children requires a level of caution, care, and maturity that is woefully absent from how this organization currently operates. There is no excuse for blurring the lines of appropriate conduct.”
Castillo did not respond to a request seeking comment.
She said in her resignation letter that Incubate Debate lost a venue for one of its tournaments because of the allegations.
“Not once did James disclose to me the true reason the venue fell through — that school administrators were informed of the sexual allegations and prohibited Incubate from operating on their campus,” she wrote.
In a lengthy email after Castillo’s resignation to a handful of people who worked with Incubate Debate, which was viewed by NBC News, Fishback acknowledged that he should have disclosed the allegations while insisting there was “not a shred of truth” to them.
He did not, however, deny that his organization lost use of a venue for a debate tournament because of them.
“I accept responsibility for not communicating a spiteful mother’s false allegations from 6 months [ago], but these allegations have been investigated and were found meritless by Okaloosa County,” he said.
He claimed that the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department was investigating Moore for her “false report.” NBC News sent the Fishback email to the sheriff’s office and asked for any records that may be related to the complaint. A spokesperson for the department told NBC News on Friday that it was “unable to locate any records relating to James Fishback.”
Fishback also said the Florida Department of Children and Families investigated an unidentified allegation against him but took no action. He included a screenshot of the DCF message in his email. NBC News does not have more context about the nature of the allegation or the investigation.
“The case will close on my side as there are no disclosures from the child nor any evidence that anything occurred,” DCF investigator Liz Arellano wrote in an October 2022 email to Fishback.
The agency did not return a request seeking comment. Bryan Sullivan, a lawyer for Fishback, said DCF closed the case because “no disclosure of misconduct was made by the only alleged victim” and the agency “did not find any evidence of misconduct.”
NBC News reached out to a number of former Incubate Debate board members. One, Maurice Herring, said it was an “honor” to work with the group, adding that he was “consistently impressed by James’ professionalism, integrity, and leadership.”
Herring, and also Fishback, in addition sent a letter that he said was written by Castillo to the Incubate Debate advisory board in June 2023. Castillo said in the letter that she was writing it to clarify that she did “not have personal knowledge of nor did I perform any investigations” into the allegations around Fishback. She also wrote, “Considering the nature of the issues raised in these communications, I request that you keep my February 16, 2023 email and this letter confidential and not distribute it to any other person.”
Fishback has spoken with the Moore family about the allegations. Shortly after Aebony Moore anonymously sent her concerns to the Broward County School District in 2022, Fishback called her and her husband.
During the 11-minute phone call, a recording of which NBC News has listened to, Fishback raises his voice at times. He repeatedly questions the parents about why they sent their daughter on Incubate Debate-related trips if they thought he was acting inappropriately toward minors.
“If you knew there was a report against me, why agree to transport all these young girls?” he asks.
Aebony Moore responds that she did not know of the allegations at the time and that she was made aware only later when they were “brought to me.”
Fishback also outlines the toll the allegations have taken on him and his organization.
“I did not seek this battle. I want to end this amicably,” he says. “I’ve been praying hard over the last couple of days, because all the work that I’ve been doing, and my team has been doing, is under attack. The schools that your wife has contacted have tried to cancel our tournaments. We’ve had parents try to pull out of the program for reasons that are not true.”
Fishback appeals to the father at the end of the call. He asks him to talk “man to man” before the call abruptly ends. The Moore family said they did not record the call.
In another email exchange, also in September 2022, Fishback wrote to both Demi Moore and her mother and accused them of trying to get back at him because he “fired” Demi from the program.
Fishback also threatened them with legal action.
“I forgot to mention that I’d be suing you and Demi. You’d both be named in this DEFAMATION lawsuit,” he wrote. “Every college Demi applies to will see this lawsuit.”
A lawsuit was never filed.
Fishback said Moore is fabricating the allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor because she was removed from a leadership role in the program.
“Demi Moore was expelled from Incubate Debate in 2022 and her scholarship was revoked so it’s not surprising she would lie about me in a silly attempt to hurt my campaign for Governor,” Fishback said in his statement for this article.
Demi Moore told NBC News that after the summer of 2022, she was no longer “feeling great” about the organization. She said that she was left out of internal group communications and not considered for an opportunity with the organization in Washington and that she wanted to work on her studies during her senior year. She agreed she was “fired” from a leadership role, but she said it was her choice to step away from the program.
“So yes, I was ‘fired’ from my role as ambassador, but it was my decision not to return,” she said.
The entrance of Fishback, who touts himself as an investor, into the governor’s race caught many off guard because he has no political experience.
NBC News reported recently that Fishback’s political efforts have ties to Christina Pushaw, one of DeSantis’ top aides. Pushaw, who has worked for DeSantis’ political operation and is a state employee in his administration, said she does not work for James Fishback and never has. A second DeSantis adviser, Taryn Fenske, was also in contact with Fishback as recently as November, coordinating a response to an NBC News inquiry. Fishback said at the time that he has “no political relationships” with DeSantis’ team.
DeSantis has not yet endorsed in the race, and it is unclear whether he was directly aware that two of his top staffers have been communicating with Fishback. His office has declined to comment when it has been asked about Fishback’s campaign or his aides’ involvement.
Donalds is backed by Trump and has raised $40 million more than a year ahead of Florida’s GOP primary. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is also considering a run but has not yet formally launched a campaign. He was originally seen as the candidate DeSantis would endorse, but it is no longer clear whether DeSantis would publicly back Collins, whom he appointed.
