{"id":117147,"date":"2026-01-14T01:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/117147\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T01:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:16:11","slug":"tampas-jay-collins-finally-decides-to-run-for-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/117147\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa’s Jay Collins finally decides to run for governor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FiveSen. Jay Collins (third from left) in Tallahassee, Florida on March 26, 2025. Credit: JayCollinsFL \/ X<\/a><\/p>\n

Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced his long-awaited bid for governor Monday, hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis wavered on whether he\u2019ll get involved in the Republican race to succeed him.<\/p>\n

Collins, a 49-year-old former Green Beret and state senator, told\u00a0FOX News<\/a>\u00a0that his commitment to DeSantis\u2019 agenda and willingness to partner with President Donald Trump would mark his tenure as Florida governor. His statement came just hours after DeSantis ducked a question about whether he plans to endorse Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m running for governor to keep Florida strong and to build on the legacy of leadership that has made our state the model for the nation,\u201d he said. \u201cAs governor, I will be a strong partner to President Trump in fighting for secure borders, a strong economy, and an America First agenda that puts families and freedom first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collins becomes the latest Republican to enter the gubernatorial primary, joining Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and investor James Fishback.<\/p>\n

Later, during an impromptu press conference on the plaza level of the state Capitol, Collins claimed that he\u2019d spoken with DeSantis ahead of his gubernatorial announcement, which came in a 12:45 p.m. Fox News report.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did [speak with the governor ahead of my announcement],\u201d he said, responding to a Phoenix reporter\u2019s question. \u201cThe governor and I talk regularly. \u2026 He\u2019s an amazing governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s someone who I am so lucky to get to ask questions of and learn from. He has been an absolute juggernaut for our state. You always got to let your boss know,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019 response?<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat, go get \u2019em,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office did not respond to questions about confirming the conversation.<\/p>\n

Although the timing was unanticipated, the choice to run is not a surprise. Collins has been\u00a0heavily hinting<\/a>\u00a0at his plan to run for six months \u2014 since DeSantis first elevated him to the lieutenant governor post in August. By picking Collins, speculation that DeSantis would support him as a hand-picked successor in a 2026 bid ran rampant.<\/p>\n

At the time, DeSantis did nothing to quell those rumors.<\/p>\n

Instead, he bashed Donalds and\u00a0criticized Renner<\/a>\u00a0while hailing Collins as the \u201cChuck Norris of Florida politics.\u201d He brought the Tampa Republican to the majority of his press conferences in late summer and early fall, posted\u00a0campaign-like videos of Collins\u2019 accomplishments, and even\u00a0dispatched<\/a>\u00a0the lieutenant governor to California to extradite an undocumented immigrant accused of vehicular manslaughter.<\/p>\n

But that relationship appears to have thinned in the months since Collins took over the second-in-command role.<\/p>\n

\u201cJay\u2019s a good guy, he\u2019s served this country admirably as a Green Beret, he has had a great conservative record in the Florida Senate,\u201d DeSantis told onlookers at an unrelated press conference in Davie Monday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know when he\u2019s going to announce or not announce. My role \u2014 obviously I\u2019m focused on the State of the State [address] and some other things. If I get involved in the primary you\u2019ll know it, it\u2019ll be at a time and place of my choosing, and so we\u2019ll see,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

NBC\u00a0first reported<\/a>\u00a0in mid-December that two of DeSantis\u2019 aides have been quietly in contact with Fishback, an acute critic of both Collins and Donalds. Both aides have denied the report.<\/p>\n

In early December, DeSantis told the\u00a0Floridian Press<\/a>\u00a0that he doesn\u2019t \u201cget involved in a lot of primaries,\u201d and stressed that \u201cwe\u2019ll see\u201d whether he chooses to wade into the race. At the time, he emphasized the importance of having a strong record and being aligned with him on policies, but didn\u2019t offer the same glowing praise he\u2019d previously offered of Collins on those counts.<\/p>\n

Collins was the only top Florida official missing at a recent press conference at the \u201cDeportation Depot\u201d immigrant detention center in Baker County.<\/p>\n

Collins, meanwhile, has stuck by all of the governor\u2019s policies, regularly lauding him on social media and in interviews with the press.<\/p>\n

The primary is on Aug. 18.<\/p>\n

Florida Phoenix<\/a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Jan. 08 \u2013 14, 2026<\/a> and Best of The Bay 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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