James Fishback, a weird little white guy and Florida gubernatorial candidate who once called for a Black man to be lynched, held a press conference in Clearwater Beach this morning for the sole purpose of re-labeling “teen takeovers” as “Black Teen Riots.”

Fishback, a half-Colombian, white nationalist-endorsed Republican, made the racist declaration a day earlier on social media, writing, “It’s time to call ‘teen takeovers’ what they are. Black Teen Riots.”

On Thursday, standing before a Ferris wheel at Pier 60, Fishback doubled down on his previous statement, stating he will show up at the next “teen takeover” with an assault rifle if Florida politicians don’t act.

“We are showing up with AR-15s. We are going to come to a public place, and we are going to defend not ourselves, but we are going to defend the community, defend our neighbors. Because that’s what it means. We’re not waiting for politicians to bail us out,” shouted Fishback to a crowd of about 25 supporters.

But it wasn’t just Fishback fans at this morning’s event. The press conference was consistently interrupted by Elvis Piggott, a former Tampa City Council candidate, who was recently accused of pulling out a gun during a dispute at a candidate forum.

“We have white students shooting up our schools,” yelled Piggott. “Why don’t you talk about that?”

After a lengthy back and forth, Fishback blurted out to Piggott, “I will drop out of the governor’s race immediately, if you can tell me one thing that I have done that is racist.”

James Fishback confronted by Elvis Piggot in Clearwater Beach, Jun4, 2026 Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Fishback’s visit comes after a “teen takeover” occurred on Clearwater Beach on Sunday, May 31, where police say hundreds of teens gathered near the 100 block of Coronado Drive. According to law enforcement, the mostly peaceful “take over” resulted in multiple arrests after a fight broke out and a 17-year-old was shot.

“It went from zero to a lot very fast,” said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri at a Tuesday press conference. “They weren’t throwing rocks, they weren’t throwing bottles, they weren’t doing things other than being there. Sometimes stuff just happens.”

Gualtieri, and every other public official across the state, have not commented on or discussed the overall racial makeup of the various “teen takeover” events.

So far, there’s zero evidence “teen takeovers” are only made up of “Black teens.” Similarly, there’s zero evidence Fishback’s meet-and-greets across the state at various Taco Bells and IHOPs are only made up of white incels.

But this isn’t an unusual tactic for the outspoken 31-year-old, who was recently accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old—an accusation he has since denied.

Despite his ongoing struggles to raise money and having his Tesla repossessed, Fishback’s campaign has largely relied on a combination of rage-bait social media posts.

The Broward County native, who is polling far behind frontrunner Byron Donalds, recently made headlines after sharing an AI-generated image of the late George Floyd carrying a gun, with the caption, “Impressive door knockers for By’rone! Great work fellas.”

Fishback has also referred to Donalds, who is Black, as a “slave” and once posted a video of himself at a gun range challenging the frontrunner to “Pull up” and “Let’s see if you’re really Black.”

So far, Fishback’s campaign has been endorsed by convicted human trafficker Andrew Tate, as well as anti-semite and “virgin by choice” groyper Nick Fuentes.

Today’s attention grab wasn’t Fishback’s first time in the Tampa Bay region. The investment firm CEO held a gathering at University of South Florida last April, where Jewish students say they were harassed and blocked from attending.

That same month, Fishback—who may not even qualify for the gubernatorial contest due to residency rules—attended Sunday mass and greeted supporters at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa, and visited St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood.