Palm Coast's Gambaro says Fine 'doesn't care' about District 6, announces bid
Gambaro said he, along with his family, decided to run because they felt Fine wasn't doing a good job representing the district.
'You have to be present to be a leader,' Gambaro said in an interview with The News-Journal on Aug. 1. 'And our current representative does not live in the district and doesn't care about any part of our community."
Fine, who won the seat in a special election in April, lives in Melbourne, which is about 111 miles south of Palm Coast City Hall, about an hour and 48 minutes by car, according to Google Maps.
Gambaro also said Fine provides a low standard for constituent services, citing that there's no congressional district office in Palm Coast, which is the largest city in the 6th Congressional District.
Gambaro is focused on Palm Coast and Flagler County and has already started setting priorities for his 2026 campaign.
'If I were to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives,' Gambaro said, 'the first thing I would pass would be a critical infrastructure funding request for our water waste, water treatment plant here in Palm Coast.'
After, Gambaro said he would like to look into the beach renourishment program, expanding roads and access to health care for constituents.
Fine didn't know Gambaro entered the race
The News-Journal contacted Fine, who was unaware of Gambaro's bid for the seat.
In response to Gambaro's comment about living outside the district, Fine said it was never a secret.
"President Trump knows where I live,' Fine and his team wrote in a statement to The News-Journal. "The president knew it when he unexpectedly asked me to run to protect the Republican majority. The incredible people who elected me also knew."
Fine also wrote that in the four months since taking office, he's opened six offices in the district. Four offices were listed on his website as of Aug. 1: Belleview, DeLand, Palatka and Eustis. Those four communities have an estimated combined population of 86,000 according to 2024 census bureau numbers. Palm Coast's 2024 population was 106,729.
Additionally Fine wrote that he was a "crucial tie-breaking vote to advance President Trump's America First agenda.
"It has kept me very busy," he continued, "but my wife and I are still making time to survey the 6 counties that make up the congressional district, an area largely that (of) the state of CT. Determining the best place to move out two school age children is no small task but I look forward to calling the district home."
Fine has been under fire recently for comments he made regarding malnutrition in Gaza, where he responded, 'starve away.' The post sparked a divide within the Republican Party, with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene commenting on social media platform X, 'A Jewish U.S. Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful. His awful statement will actually cause more antisemitism."
Mayor Mike Norris tried to get Gambaro kicked off City Council
Gambaro was appointed as the District 4 representative on Oct. 1, 2024, replacing Cathy Heighter, who vacated the seat. He still has about two years left of his term. Gambaro made it clear that he will fulfill his oath to serve on the City Council until his term ends in November 2026.
Gambaro's term as councilman has also been tumultuous. Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris, who was elected in November 2024, filed a lawsuit in May in an attempt to remove Gambaro from his position. Norris claimed the City Council violated the city charter by failing to put Gambaro's seat up for a vote in the same November election.
Circuit Judge Chris France July 3 denied Norris' request, saying Norris didn't have standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place. He also said the city complied with the charter, which did not authorize a special election.
Gambaro has a military background as a U.S. Army Reserve Brigadier General. He has previously advised the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense, according to the Palm Coast's government website.
Gambaro is not yet listed as an official candidate on the Federal Election Commission website or the Florida Department of State's website.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rep. Fine's challenger for 2026 midterm is Palm Coast councilman
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