DeSantis Names State Sen. Jay Collins as Lieutenant Governor

Florida is now the only state in the country to have military veterans as both governor and lieutenant governor.

Florida state Sen. Jay Collins attends the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., on Nov. 4, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

After roughly six months, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis finally decided on his next lieutenant governor: state Sen. Jarrid “Jay” Collins.

The governor said on Aug. 12 in Tampa that he considered two things when making his decision. First, the person had to be “strong on policy,” with a “record of delivering big conservative results.” Second, the person had to be “somebody that’s going to run towards the fire,” not sit on the fence or fear criticism.