DeSantis picks veteran Jay Collins as his next lieutenant governor: “A patriot who has dedicated his life to serving our country”

Amid rumors and uncertainty, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced State Senator and Army veteran Jay Collins as his new lieutenant governor.

“Today, I was proud to appoint Jay Collins as Florida’s new Lieutenant Governor. A combat-wounded warrior who served for 23 years as a Green Beret, Jay embodies Florida grit,” said the Republican governor after making the announcement on Tuesday at the Green Beret Association in Tampa.

“Since retiring from the Army, @JayCollinsFL has led disaster relief missions and helped rescue Floridians in danger—a record of public service that speaks for itself. In the Senate, he has passed more than 40 bills and been a champion for veterans and military families, education freedom, law and order, and responsible fiscal stewardship. Jay is an unapologetic fighter for conservative values. I look forward to working with him to keep putting Florida first.”

In response to Governor DeSantis’s announcement, Collins reaffirmed his commitment to Florida and the United States: “This isn’t just a job to me, it's personal. I told my boys I would leave this country in a better place than I found it and now as Florida’s Lieutenant Governor I intend on fulfilling that promise.”

Collins’s appointment, as one of DeSantis’s closest allies in the state legislature and a rising figure in the Sunshine State since his election as a lawmaker in 2022, places him squarely in the race as a potential candidate for Florida’s governorship in the midterm elections scheduled for 2026.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has already decided who will be his next lieutenant governor and a potential candidate for Florida's gubernatorial election, which will be held in the 2026 midterm elections.

DeSantis' decision, which comes after several months without a second-in-command since the appointment of then-lieutenant governor Jeannette Nuñez as president of Florida International University in Miami, comes at a sensitive time, with Republican Rep. Byron Donalds pushing his bid for Florida governor in 2026 with the backing from President Donald Trump and several state leaders such as Senator Rick Scott.

However, according to Politico, appointing Collins as lieutenant governor could mean a direct challenge to Donald's candidacy in the near future, as the state senator has shown interest not only in the lieutenant governor's post, but also in the state's top job.

In addition to his impressive military background—the state senator served in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 23 years in the military, losing part of a leg during his service—Collins has earned the respect of DeSantis and his allies by becoming an important figure in the state legislature. 

For example, Collins was a leading proponent of the "Hope Florida" initiative pushed by Casey DeSantis- which came under heavy criticism in the Republican-dominated state House of Representatives.

Collins, elected in 2022 to the Florida Senate after defeating Democrat Janet Cruz in a Tampa district, also made a name for himself in June, when he traveled to the Middle East to help arrange rescue flights for Gov. DeSantis for Americans stranded in Israel in the middle of the conflict with Iran.

Collins' election as lieutenant governor also raises questions about the political future of Florida's first lady, Casey DeSantis, who was one of the favorites to succeed her husband as governor.

However, Casey DeSantis' few public intentions cooled expectations about her potential candidacy. Now, should Governor DeSantis endorse Collins as a candidate, everything seems to indicate that there will be a competitive Republican primary election against Rep. Donalds, which would also mean a direct clash of forces between President Trump and DeSantis himself in Florida.