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FCDI State Championship
General information
This is a High School tournament in Florida. View manager contact information
FCDI State Championship
This is a Middle/High School tournament in Sarasota.
Please carefully read all information below to ensure you do not miss important information.
--->Information Packet
--->Tournament Information Link Tree (Schedule, Most Valuable Coach Nomination Form, Maps, Resources, etc.)
------> We are NOT using SpeechWire to register students or RSVP - you must respond to the email invitation from FCDI@fldoe.org to RSVP.
-------> Please register judges in SpeechWire. All teams must bring the proper number of trained judges or entries will be dropped.
Tournament Information:
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The Florida Civics & Debate Initiative State Championship, to be held April 18th and 19th, 2026 at New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243 and State College of Florida, 5840 26th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207. This tournament will be live, in person, two day tournament.
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On Saturday, April 18th, high school competition will take place at New College of Florida and middle school competition will take place at State College of Florida. On Sunday, April 19th, all rounds (elimination rounds for both middle and high school) will take place at New College of Florida.
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This tournament offers middle school and high school competition (no novice division will be offered). Students must qualify to compete at the State Championship.
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The schedule and an information packet for the State Championship will be sent out via email and posted on this page.
Important notes about judges at the State Championship:
EVENTS and DIVISIONS: middle school and high school will be offered at the State Championship. Middle school students may not "play up" and compete in the high school division.
Observers are allowed. Please do not take photos or videos in competition rooms.
EVENTS INCLUDE:
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LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE (LD)
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RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (RPD) - Important information about the high school Ronald Reagan Presidential Debate scholarship: the runner-up will receive a $25,000 scholarship, the two semifinalists will each receive a $15,000 scholarship, and the four quarterfinalists will each receive a $10,000 scholarship. Read more here.
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PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE (PF)
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EXTEMPORANEOUS DEBATE (EXTD)
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LEGISLATIVE DEBATE (LEG)
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DECLAMATION SPEAKING (DEC)
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IMPROMPTU SPEAKING (IMP)
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EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING (EXT)
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INFORMATIVE SPEAKING (INF)
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ORIGINAL ORATORY (OO)
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WE THE PEOPLE: A CITIZEN SHOWDOWN (WTP)
Please send speech scripts for OO, INF, and DEC and the image and media release form (pg 96 of the FCDI Handbook and linked here) to the FCDI at FCDI@fldoe.org by Monday, April 13th.
No Double Entry. Coaches will be asked to select an event for any students qualified in more than one event.
FEES: FCDI member schools pay no general registration fees. Non-FCDI schools pay $5.00/student.
Please note the change in payee for registration fees below-
Please make checks payable to and mail to:
Florida Education Foundation
325 W. Gaines Street
Suite 1524
Tallahassee, FL 32399:
*If a coach subimits a check with the incorrect payee, the coach is responsible for mailing a corrected check to the address above.
SCHEDULE: A detailed schedule is included in the link tree above. Teams should arrive to the competition site at 7 AM on Saturday and Sunday. At New College of Florida, please drop students off at Cook Library (5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL 34243) both mornings, then proceed to park in one of the two lots designated (see info packet and maps for parking lot locations).
TOPICS: Participants should familiarize themselves with potential topics/resolutions and prepare accordingly.
Public Forum Topic: Resolved: The US federal government should eliminate the Senate filibuster.
Lincoln-Douglas Topic: Resolved: Corporate influence over government poses the greatest threat to the democratic process in the US.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Debate Topic: The FCDI State Championship will use the 2026 Ronald Reagan Debate Series Regional Invitational Topic - Resolved: As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary of self-governance, the Electoral College should be replaced by the popular vote in Presidential elections.
Impromptu Topic Areas:
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Preliminary Rounds: Iconic American Symbols, Summer Vacation, Civil Rights Leaders, What Would Happen If...
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Elimination Rounds: Things That Make Florida Unique, American Historical Documents, Florida Historical Figures, Federalist Paper Quotes
Extemporaneous Debate Topic Areas:
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Preliminary Rounds: US Congress, Indigenous Peoples, Economy, NIL
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Elimination Rounds: Federal Courts, Local Control, Local vs. State, International Conflict, The United States Presidency
Extemporaneous Speaking Topic Areas:
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Preliminary Rounds: Environmental Policies & Natural Resources, Global Development & Infrastructure, State Budget & Public Services, Higher Education & Labor Laws
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Elimination Rounds: Immigration Policy, US Foreign Policy
We the People: A Citizen Showdown Topic Areas:
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Middle School: All benchmarks under Civics and Government Standards 1-4
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High School: All standards and benchmarks under 9-12 American History
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Find middle school standards here.
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Find high school standards here.
Legislative Debate Topics: Legislation has been posted to the "Files for download" tab.
LOGDING: A hotel block has been reserved at the hotels provided in the invitation email. Rooms are first come, first served. Teams are responsible for booking and submitting payment for their lodging.
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New Block: The Sarasota Modern, 1290 Boulevard of the Arts Sarasota, Florida, USA, 34236
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Rate: $225/night
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Book here
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Hotel Block 1: Hilton Garden Inn Sarasota-Bradenton Airport, 8270 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243 -- Sold Out
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Rate: $179/night
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Breakfast: Complimentary hot breakfast
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Parking: Free
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Book here
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A second block has opened up at this hotel. Book here (different link than above).
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Hotel Block 2: Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota/Bradenton-Airport, 975 University Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34243 -- Sold Out
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Rate: $194/night
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Breakfast: Complimentary hot breakfast
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Parking: Free
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Book here
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Hotel Block 3: Embassy Suites by Hilton Sarasota, 202 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236.
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Rate: $269/night - includes a $28/night resort fee that counts as a credit towards the hotel's store and resturant.
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Breakfast: Complimentary hot breakfast
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Book here by March 30th
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Hotel Block 4: Best Western Ameniti Bay, 5985 Brookhill Boulevard, Sarasota, Florida 34232
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Rate: $225/night
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Breakfast: Complimentary breakfast
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Book here.
CHECK IN:
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Optional Early Tournament Check In: coaches will have the opportunity to check their team in early on Friday, April 17th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota Airport (975 University Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34243).
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Regular Tournament Check-In: begins at 7 AM at State College of Florida (middle school) and New College of Florida (high school) on Saturday, April 18th. Coaches with both middle and high school participants must designate an adult representative to check in students at the other campus on Saturday.
Optional Judge Training Sessions: Three optional but highly recommended judge training sessions will be held prior to the tournament.
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Virtual Judge Training Monday, April 13th at 7 PM EST- Zoom Link
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In-Person Judge Training Friday, April 17th at 6:30 – 7:30 PM at the Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota Airport (975 University Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34243).
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In-Person Judge Training Friday, April 17th at 7:30– 8:30 PM at the Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota Airport (975 University Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34243).
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Space is limited at the in-person judge trainings. Seats are first come, first served.
Additional information, including the tournament schedule, campus map, and information packet, will be shared before the tournament.
JUDGES: FCDI JUDGING REQUIREMENTS & RULES
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Required Virtual Judge Training: judges must be trained via the Canvas courses provided by FDI to fulfill your judge obligations. Please register here to be added to the course (email addresses must be able to receive external mail and must not already be associated with another Canvas account).
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Required Number of Judges Based on Entries: the FCDI requires teams provide judges proportional to the number of students they have registered for a given tournament: For every two debate entries (individuals or teams) or part thereof, one debate judge must be registered. For every five speech entries or five or legislative debate or We the People entries (or part thereof), one speech judge must be registered. Teams who do not have the required number of trained judges will have their competitors dropped before the tournament. No judge can cover middle and high school entries simultaneously - middle school entries must be covered by middle school judges (as with HS).
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Elimination Rounds: judges are obligated one round after the last entry they are covering is eliminated. This does not apply to the first elimination round on Sunday.
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For example, if the last student covered by a judge is eliminated in Quaterfinals, then the judge is obligated until the Semifinal round.
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If the last student covered by a judge is eliminated on the last round on Saturday, the judge is not obligated to attend on Sunday.
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Judge Types & Divisions: Should the tournament need judges of a specific type, judges may have to take a ballot in an event type for which they were not registered. Please confirm judges are entered in the correct division and type.
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Important Note About Divisions: the middle school and high school divisions will compete on different campuses on Saturday. No judge can cover middle and high school entries simultaneously.
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Additional speech, debate, and judging resources can be found here: HANDBOOK LINK
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District Volunteer System: it is the affirmative duty of the coach to ensure that all judges (except students) must be approved as vetted volunteers through their district’s volunteer system.
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Missing Judge Fee: If a judge misses a round, other than in the case of an emergency, the team they are representing will be charged a $100.00 missed round fee.
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Student Judges: Experienced varsity competitors may be entered as "student" judges and may judge middle school events if they are not themselves competing in this tournament. Student judges must be in the 1th or 12th grade, with at least 3 years of experience as a participant within FCDI tournaments. This means all student judges must report to the middle school campus on Saturday.
PROXY COACHES: All teams must have either a coach or assistant coach present at every event the team participates in for the duration of the tournament. If an FCDI registered coach cannot attend the tournament, coaches may designate a proxy coach on a per tournament basis. This change must be asked for in writing and approved by the FCDI. Proxy coach requests must be submitted with a letter from the principal stating that the proxy coach is approved to supervise the students. Any team found in violation of this rule will be disqualified from the tournament and asked to leave. A letter will also be sent to the school principal notifying them of this rule violation.
TOURNAMENT CONTACTS:
Kendall Lindsay
FCDI Program Manager
Email: kendall.lindsay@fldoe.org
Phone: 850-245-0504
The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative is proud to partner with the Florida Debate Initiative, which oversees our tournament operations and manages the Regional Ambassadors who help bring our mission to life.
FLORIDA DEBATE INITIATIVE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Abraham López
President, Florida Debate Initiative
Email address: alopez@floridadebate.org
Phone number: 201-892-6371
Manager contact information Kendall Lindsay
Email address: kendall.lindsay@fldoe.org
Phone number: (850) 245-0504 Mailing address 325 W.Gaines St., Suite 1524
Tallahassee, FL 32399
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