DeSantis names state Sen. Jay Collins as Florida's new lieutenant governor

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that state Sen. Jay Collins will fill the state's vacant lieutenant governor's post. 

The post has been vacant since February, when DeSantis appointed then-Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez to be president of Florida International University, according to the Associated Press. 

The appointment by DeSantis, who is term-limited, comes after President Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds for Florida governor in the 2026 election.

Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, could choose to run against Donalds next year.

“What I was looking for is someone that can be lieutenant governor that will help us deliver more wins for the people of Florida — and then also that is capable of serving and leading as governor, if that need were ever to arise,” DeSantis said during the news conference in Tampa, which Collins represents.

Collins was elected to the state Senate in 2022 and has been one of DeSantis' allies in the legislature, as GOP lawmakers loyal to Trump have sparred with the governor after he challenged the president for the Republican presidential nomination last year.

The state senator, who was born in Montana, has previously mentioned how he was homeless in high school and lost a leg while serving in the Army Special Forces, continuing his service for another five years after the amputation.