Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has chosen state Senator Jay Collins, a decorated Green Beret, to fill the vacant lieutenant governor post on Tuesday. With eligibility for re-election ending in 2026, DeSantis’s choice signals intent to shape his legacy and influence future leadership in the state. ([AP News][1])
A Leader with Grit and Loyalty
During the announcement in Tampa — hosted at the symbolic Green Beret Association — DeSantis stressed on Collins’s conservative values and readiness to step into the governorship if needed.
“What I was looking for is someone … capable of serving and leading as governor, if that need were ever to arise,” DeSantis said, according to The Associated Press.
Collins, elected to the Florida Senate in 2022, has been a vocal champion of conservative causes, particularly gun rights and veterans’ affairs. Voters know him as reliable and steadfast — someone who aligns closely with DeSantis.
“He and I agree on pretty much everything. I am not even really sure if there’s anything we have had a real disagreement on yet,” Collins reportedly said.
Governor DeSantis Appoints Florida’s New Lieutenant Governor https://t.co/leRlFImHdL
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 12, 2025
From Humble Roots to Military Valor
Born in Montana, Collins openly shares that he once had “two wooden nickels to rub together” during high school. He rose from those beginnings to serve over two decades in the US Army Special Forces, as reported by AP. Despite losing a leg in combat, local media reports suggest he requalified and continued serving another five years as a Green Beret.
Collins will fill the role left open by Jeanette Nunez, who departed in February to lead Florida International University. While the lieutenant governor’s role is mostly ceremonial, it places Collins in a prime position to run for governor in 2026, Politico reported.
His appointment, the report said, might set up a proxy contest with President Donald Trump–backed Congressman Byron Donalds, who is also being groomed for the same candidacy. Meanwhile, speculation still lingers around First Lady Casey DeSantis’s political ambitions, though she has yet to formally enter the race.
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