CLEARWATER, Fla. (CBS12) — Former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback says he was threatened with arrest by deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office while trying to attend a public event hosted by Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds.

In a news release, Fishback said he and his wife were told he was “not welcome here” upon entering the event in Clearwater. The release did not specify what led to the confrontation or identify the deputies involved.

“My wife and I attended an event hosted by Democrat U.S. Senate Candidate Angie Nixon last week without incident,” Fishback said. “I have attended political events featuring Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bernie Sanders, and I’ve never had any issues.”

Fishback, a Republican who ran and lost to Donalds in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial primary, said he was disappointed by the incident.

“It is disgraceful that Byron Donalds would threaten to arrest us for attending a political event open to the public,” Fishback said.

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Fishback said he received nearly 200,000 votes in the primary and won voters under 50 by 13 percentage points. Since the primary, he said he has endorsed 22 Republican candidates, knocked on doors and mobilized campaign volunteers to support Republican campaigns across Florida.

“After everything I’ve done to help Republicans across Florida, this is how Byron Donalds chooses to treat us,” Fishback said.