Former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback was recently escorted out of the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers after condemning the local investment in Israeli bonds. Fishback’s actions sparked controversy online, as many Florida residents believed that he was right to speak out against the investment, while others blamed the Republican for using the topic as a way to steal the spotlight.
As reported by the Miami Herald, Fishback questioned county officials about new investment rules allowing for the increased purchase of bonds issued by Israel, which had recently been approved. Reportedly, he asked: “Do you serve the people of South Miami or of Jerusalem? This money should be invested here in this community.”
Due to rules imposed by Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, the topic was not supposed to be discussed during the session, as it had already been voted on. However, Fishback did so anyway, which led to him being escorted out of the building. During the event, multiple other critics also complained about not being able to speak out.
Florida Residents Discuss James Fishback’s Latest Controversy
Fishback’s actions sparked mixed reactions on Reddit’s r/Florida. Some people agreed with Fishback, despite seemingly not liking him very much: “I hate to do it, but I agree with him.” Someone else added: “A broken clock can be right twice a day.”
Others echoed the sentiment, criticizing the local commissioners over the approved rules: “Yes, so much for Republicans being all about meritocracy and not DEI. How is this not DEI? Why do you have to buy Israeli bonds when Canadian bonds, for example, might give you a better deal? How is that not [expletive] the taxpayers who are potentially leaving money on the table and not getting the best bang for their buck?”
Some Floridians, however, believed that Fishback decided to speak out about the issue only after it had already been decided so that he could be thrown out and gain the spotlight: “This is Fishback karma farming IRL. He’s a piece of [expletive] and knew the time to address this issue had already passed. While many may (and should) agree that FL buying Israeli bonds is a potentially very bad idea that deserves scrutiny, Fishback knew that was not the agenda and that window had already closed.”
A few people even argued that the Republican was in the wrong, slamming him: “Fishback is a racist and anti-Semitic loon.”
At the time of this report, the rules regarding the purchase of Israeli bonds had already been decided by Miami-Dade County, and it did not seem that the opposition could do much besides complain about it from the outside.
