TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – As Governor Ron DeSantis touts his latest appointments Attorney General James Uthmeier and the new Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, one more seat needed to be filled: lieutenant governor, which now is being led by who many say is a true warrior.
State Senator Jay Collins now takes on his new role as Lt. Governor.

The seat has been vacant since February 2025 after former Lt. Governor Jeannette Nunez stepped down to be the president at Florida International University in Miami.

Desantis said he wanted someone who is strong on policy and has a record of delivering big conservative results.

8 On Your Side spoke to Senator Collins back when his name was just being floated for the role. He said it was an absolute privilege to just be mentioned, and now he has the new position.

“For a kid who grew up in a trailer, adopted by my grandparents, served in the military, it means everything,” said Collins back in July. “Because that’s what we’re fighting for, right? Where a kid like me from nowhere, no name, anything, can be put out there, to have your name thrown out for Lieutenant Governor in the greatest state in our union, Florida. It’s amazing.”

Collins has not only served the state Senate since 2022 but also defended our country as a Green Beret for 23 years.

He was wounded in action and lost his leg, requalified as a Green Beret with an amputated leg, has a long list of military decorations, and recently took charge rescuing Floridians stranded in Israel during its conflict with Iran.
“I directed,” DeSantis said. “I authorized, and I supervised that. But I did that from Tallahassee. Senator Collins went to Israel. He was in Jordan. He was in these countries in the middle of the war, personally, helping to rescue his fellow Floridians and fellow Americans. Senator Jay Collins is the Chuck Norris of Florida politics.”

“We will not fail,” Collins said. “We will not stop until we keep fighting and achieve excellence in all that we do, because that is the Florida standard and that is our way and that is my promise to you, Governor.”

Collins was one of the only state lawmakers to stand by DeSantis during his battles this legislative session.

As Political Analyst Tara Newsom tells us, this appointment sets the stage for Collins to run for Governor in 2026.
“I think that he really has a long, storied history of standing by DeSantis, and DeSantis is doing his calculus right now and by having Casey there, I think it’s showing an arm of support that if Jay Collins wants to run for Governor, that the DeSantis’s team is behind him,” Newsom said.

As the Governors race for 2026 continues to heat up, the question is will the Republican nominee be a DeSantis or Trump pick?

“I think in the state of Florida, having Governor DeSantis behind him, and having the kind of credentials that Jay Collins has is really a strong a candidate and it may be that DeSantis actually, inches out Trump’s candidate in this race,” said Newsom.