Florida is
not an abstraction.

It is a place inherited, inhabited, and entrusted to us, passed down to us by our ancestors. It is a natural landscape of springs, citrus groves and forests paired with piers and cityscapes. It is inhabited by descendants of those who have called Florida home for hundreds of years, and newcomers who value our way of life.

Discover our purpose

We exist to make Florida more rooted, prosperous, beautiful, and self-reliant.

Florida First Organization is a civic institution devoted to the long-term flourishing of the Sunshine State. We believe public life should begin with a responsibility to the people and places nearest to us.

Our work intersects research with public advocacy and practical organization. We study the forces shaping Florida, make the case for policies that serve Floridians, and help build the civic bonds required to carry those ideas into the public sphere.

Our Pillars

Local Prosperity

An economy should sustain the people who live within it. We support Florida-owned enterprise, skilled work, productive investment, and institutions that keep more of the state's wealth circulating at home.

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Land & Water

Florida's springs, coasts, working lands, rivers, and wild places are an inheritance and not an expendable commodity. Growth must respect the natural and biological systems that make this state one of the most beautiful in the Union.

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Floridian Culture

A state becomes a home through customs, architecture, art, way of life and shared obligation. We work to preserve Florida's history and strengthen the civic disposition that ties the people of Florida together.

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Ideas must become
public action.

Florida First is follows a simple sequence: understand the state clearly, craft solutions, speak with conviction, and organize for results.

Research

We publish essays and reports to make complicated ideas digestible, and that recommend novel solutions to address them.

Advocate

We advance policies that place Florida’s communities, natural inheritance, and long-term interests at the center of public decisions.

Organize

We connect Floridians who want to take responsibility for the future of their towns, counties, and state, and to gather their opinions on issues that affect them. We also participate with members of our organization to develop and publish their ideas.

Our Founding

Florida First was founded in December 2025 after members of James Fishback's campaign decided an intellectual, advocacy and organizational vanguard was necessary in order to rally behind ideas that truly put "Florida First."

The civic group was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, by three friends who make up the Executive Council of the organization. Since then, we have networked with local and state governmental candidates and leaders, researched policy and have written essays about our ideas on government.

Stand with the
Sunshine State.

Receive new essays from The Florida Journal, original research, and opportunities to take part in the work.