Hi cyber.snow, and welcome to BF and to this (sometimes crazy) sub-forum!

So, I'm jumping in because you are inevitably going to get a series of responses here suggesting that you really can/should/should want to/must purchase a drop-bar road bike -- possibly with disc brakes. Perhaps you will. I, on the other hand, am something of an outlier here; I (at 63) prefer and have always preferred flat-bar road bikes, and so know a little about them. Given what you say in your thread-start post, I'm thinking that this is what you're looking for. If so, and given your budget, I'd have two immediate/obvious suggestions:

Specialized Bicycle Components
FastRoad CoMax 1 (2015) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Both have decent tire clearance; both have discs; both will (likely ... I haven't ridden either yet, though I will be) be comfortable and quick. Importantly, they were designed from the get-go as flat-bar road bikes (geometry etc.); they are not drop-bar frames with flat-bars slapped on for marketing purposes. In the U.S. (and Canadian) market, these are the two that come to mind that tick the boxes implied by your post, so I'd certainly suggest you give these two a try in the first instance.

Once again, welcome and good luck with your search!