The plan proposes changes affecting universities, students, and employers statewide.
Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
Republican Gubernatorial candidate James Fishback pledges that on day one in office, he would hike tuition to $1 million for foreign students. Fishback rolled out the policy proposal in December, saying that “Florida public colleges are funded by state taxpayers for Florida students”.
Fishback is an investor and CEO of Azoria Partners. He launched his gubernatorial campaign in November of last year, echoing frontrunner and Trump-endorsed candidate Byron Donalds. Fishback is running on affordability as the central theme of his campaign, saying, “I’m running to make life more affordable for you and your family.”
A Florida Atlantic University poll shows that 75% of Floridians surveyed are considering moving out of Florida due to the cost-of-living crisis, and 90% said they consider inflation and the cost of living as major concerns. Part of Fishback’s pledge to make life more affordable is making sure Floridians “can earn a great-paying job.”
A major piece of Fishback’s plan for affordability is pledging to end the H-1B “scam.” Fishback wrote on X, “How about 0 foreign students?” adding, “ As Florida Governor, I will raise tuition on every foreign student to $1 million. When they can’t pay, they’re out, and more qualified Florida kids are in.”
H-1B is a federal program, and governors have a limited ability to stop H-1B Visas. Fishback has stated that if elected governor, he would give companies with state contracts an ultimatum, which he previewed during a CNN interview, saying, “Do you want your $50 million contract a year, or do you want to keep your 50 H-1Bs?” He added, “You’ve got 24 hours.”
The University of Florida (UF) has the largest international student population in the state. Florida International University (FIU) ranks number three with roughly 4,507 international students who would be affected by Fishback’s policy.
Florida ranks around 10th nationally for overall H-1B visa use, with the majority of its numbers coming from the university, technology, and healthcare sectors. In 2025, 4,093 visas were given out. UF has the largest number of H-1B hires at 156, and FIU has a total of 13 H-1B hires.
Currently, Governor Ron DeSantis has strongly opposed visas, saying, “We’ve seen how companies will bring in H-1Bs, the Americans train the H-1Bs, and then they fire the Americans and hire the H-1Bs. DeSantis added, “How would that even remotely be acceptable?”
Fishback is trailing behind Donald’s campaigning when it comes to fundraising, raising only $950; however, Fishback is running a social media-driven campaign, with approximately 93.6k followers on Instagram, and in recent months appeared on numerous national outlets, including CNN NewsNight and Fox News. Fishback has also appeared on Jubilee’s “Surrounded” and most recently on conservative host Tucker Carlson’s podcast.
The Florida primaries are set to take place on August 18, 2026, with an increasingly widening Republican field. The Midterm Election will be held on November 3, 2026.
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