Florida is finally poised to have a new Lieutenant Governor this week, filling a position that has been vacant for most of the year after Jeanette M. Núñez resigned to become President of Florida International University.
Multiple sources report (with NBC’s Matt Dixon breaking the news) that state Sen. Jay Collins will be Gov. Ron DeSantis’ selection, ending the suspense for the Tampa Republican and former Green Beret.
Collins, a native of Montana, was first elected to the Senate in 2022, an election in which he defeated Democratic state Sen. Janet Cruz. After briefly running for Congress after redistricting, he ended up back in the Senate race, bolstered by a field-clearing endorsement from the Governor, who was at the zenith of his political power.
Having earned the endorsement, Collins then spent the next few years as a self-styled “vocal advocate” for DeSantis’ agenda, not shying away from controversies such as the one about the Hope Florida Foundation programming money from a settlement with Medicaid insurer Centene for political advertising last year.
Collins has long since proved his utility as a DeSantis defender before getting the appointment. Collins also had occasion at a number of points this year to demonstrate his interest in not just the current No. 2 job, but also in perhaps running for the office next year — a potential sticking point given First Lady Casey DeSantis has been said to be exploring a run of her own.
“There’s a lot of time in any election between now and then, and historically, you don’t ever have just one candidate in the Primary,” Collins said at the Florida Freedom Forum, an event organized by the Republican Party of Florida, earlier this month.
While it’s not immediately clear what Casey DeSantis will do, if Collins runs for Governor, he will face off against U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the endorsed candidate of President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, and many other Republicans in the state.
“I believe you should have a choice,” Collins also said at the Freedom Forum.
The potential Trump-DeSantis proxy battle would find the soon-to-be-LG with ground to make up against the Naples Republican, who last reported more than $22 million in fundraising.
Meanwhile, Collins has less than $90,000 in his campaign account and roughly $600,000 in his political committee, Quiet Professionals FL.
Whatever Collins does as his next political move, his appointment is garnering praise even before it is official.
Americans for Prosperity-Florida State Director Skylar Zander lauded Collins as an “outstanding choice … a consistent champion for economic freedom, limited government, and energy reliability.”
“From occupational licensing reforms and strengthening Florida’s power grid to improving mobility across the state, he has always put the needs of Floridians first,” Zander said in a Monday statement.
“His leadership reflects the values that make our state a model for opportunity and prosperity. Americans for Prosperity-Florida has been proud to work alongside Senator Collins and we look forward to continuing that partnership as he steps into this important statewide role.”
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