GOP Primary Erupts as Fishback Targets Trump-Endorsed Donalds Over Abandoned Charter School
FORT MYERS, Fla. — A stalled charter-school project in Fort Myers is escalating into a defining clash in Florida’s Republican primary after James Fishback attacked Rep. Byron Donalds — who is endorsed by Donald Trump — over the school’s failed launch and years of delays.blican primary.
Follow The Coffman Chronicle on NewsBreak for daily breaking political coverage.
The campus, originally planned as Optima Classical Academy under Erika Donalds’ charter-network management, broke ground in 2023 and enrolled hundreds of students for a 2024 opening. The school never opened, leaving the building empty and families without answers.
Now, the project has been formally transferred to new management. The school — rebranded as Nova Classical STEM Academy — is accepting applications for the 2026–27 year under the Discovery Science Schools network, following Lee County’s approval of the operator switch. Nova says it is preparing for an August 2026 opening.
Fishback held a press conference at the unused campus, calling the project a “broken promise” and accusing the Donalds family of misleading parents. He demanded a federal investigation and alleged financial improprieties tied to the earlier Optima-backed version of the school, though some of his most explosive claims remain unverified.
The Donalds campaign disputes the allegations, saying the campus was privately funded, remains in compliance with its charter agreement, and is now on track under new management. They argue Fishback is distorting the facts to gain traction in a race where Donalds holds Trump’s endorsement and is widely viewed as the primary frontrunner.
Fishback, however, says the empty school is evidence of failed leadership and mismanagement — and that the transfer to a new operator does not absolve the original rollout. He’s trying to turn the abandoned project into a referendum on Donalds’ judgment as the GOP contest tightens.
With Nova moving forward without the Donalds’ involvement, the political fight has shifted: the school’s future is now separated from the scandal, but the battle over who bears responsibility — and what it says about the Trump-endorsed candidate — has only intensified.