Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 12 named state Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, as the state’s next lieutenant governor, ending a six-month vacancy in the position.
Jeanette Nuñez, the previous lieutenant governor, left the office in February to be interim president of Florida International University in Fort Lauderdale. She has since become the permanent president.
Collins, a former Green Beret who lost his leg in service and a state senator since 2022, is a staunch DeSantis ally. They also share a military background: DeSantis was a Navy JAG officer.
DeSantis later posted on social media: “Florida is the only state that has veterans serving as both Governor and Lt. Governor now that Green Beret Jay Collins has been appointed.”
He also noted Collins helped coordinate rescue flights for Florida residents in Israel when Iran launched rockets following an Israeli strike in Iran in April.
“Senator Jay Collins is the Chuck Norris of Florida politics,” DeSantis said at the Tampa Green Beret Association. “Jay has amassed a conservative record that is second to none.”
