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<\/p>\nFlorida Lt. Governor Jay Collins and Congressman Byron Donalds (R-Naples), two of the leading contenders to be the next governor of Florida, recently spoke with the Breeze Newspapers ahead of the upcoming Aug. 18 Republican primary.<\/p>\n
Donalds, whose congressional district covers most of Lee County, has been considered the frontrunner in part for the backing of his candidacy by President Donald Trump. Donalds has been a staunch backer of the president.<\/p>\n
Donalds voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, and against certification in Arizona in 2021 after the riots at the Capitol.<\/p>\n
Collins, 50, a former state senator whose district included Tampa, has been lieutenant governor since 2025.<\/p>\n
Donalds, 47, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020, succeeding Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Naples). There are now 14 candidates vying to replace Donalds in the 19th Congressional district.<\/p>\n
There are 11 Republicans competing in the primary for governor. Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner is also considered one of the leading candidates. His campaign didn\u2019t respond to requests for an interview as of press time. <\/p>\n
Collins is suing candidate James Fishback, to have him removed for the ballot for allegedly not meeting the residency requirements for governor. <\/p>\n
Other Republican candidates in the field include Jim Holcomb, Arthur Joseph McCaffrey, Daniel Nokovich, Rachel Rodriguez, James Shaw, Caneste Succe, and Bobby Williams.<\/p>\n
Several polls have shown Donalds leading the race. <\/p>\n
In 2023, Donalds sought to be Speaker of the House during an unsuccessful challenge to former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy was later voted out as Speaker of the House and replaced by Mike Johnson. Donalds said he fully supports Johnson. \u201cSpeaker Johnson is doing the best job he can but the Senate is just unworkable right now,\u201d Donalds said.<\/p>\n
Byron Donalds<\/p>\n
Donalds said he wants to see the Save America Act passed in the Senate, procurement reform for energy, and Trump\u2019s border security bill approved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is everything is logjammed in the Senate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Donalds said he is running to make sure \u201cFlorida remains the best state in all of America. I moved here 30 years ago to go to college. I have been very blessed, have built the Florida dream of my life and I want to make sure that is available to families in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Congressman Byron Donalds <\/p>\n
Donalds said \u201cthe next governor needs to have a strong business and economics background.\u201d Before being elected to Congress, Donalds was a state representative and worked as a financial advisor and was an associate vice-president of investments at Moran Wealth Management in Naples.<\/p>\n
The congressman said he wants insurance reforms, and wants to \u201creform the regulatory side to push down insurance costs for homeowners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds said he is aware of the struggles that homeowners and condo associations have had in being reimbursed by insurance companies since Hurricane Ian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been aware since Hurricane Ian,\u201d Donalds said. <\/p>\n
He wants to put out an insurance scorecard that would give information on how much an insurance company would charge, but would also give information on denial percentages, and the timeliness of fulfilling claims.<\/p>\n
After Hurricane Ian, Donalds was hopeful there would be a supplemental bill to help Fort Myers Beach. While a supplemental funding bill wasn\u2019t passed, Donalds said he has been spending a lot of time staying on top of FEMA reimbursements. He is critical of how the agency has responded to the impacts from Hurricane Ian throughout the region, and took part in hearings with FEMA in the county after Hurricane Ian in which he was critical of their response.<\/p>\n
Donalds said he was meeting with FEMA just this week on releasing reimbursements for Naples and Sanibel. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe pushed hard with FEMA to get a final sign-off on reimbursement to rebuild the Naples pier,\u201d Donalds said. <\/p>\n
He said he is also working on Fort Myers Beach issues regarding FEMA.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work very diligently with FEMA, and have quite frankly been on their backs to make sure they release the funds,\u201d he said. \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s a bureaucratic agency that takes way too long to do the basic things. We want to see a reformed FEMA that really empowers Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds is supportive of the increase in the homestead property exemption that will be up for a state referendum this November, but said if it doesn\u2019t pass he wants to use the budget commission to make changes to a new bill to ensure there is relief for seniors on fixed incomes and working families.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support it, but the question is if it\u2019s going to pass,\u201d Donalds said. He wants a full study of the taxing system and fee structures in the state, and also to \u201cfind newer ways to try and capture revenue from the 140 million tourists who come to Florida every year so they can actually help to pay for the services that quite frankly Floridians are paying for today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee County has estimated it could lose as much as $200 million or more in property tax revenue annually by 2028 if the referendum passes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe better question is can Floridians continue to handle a higher level of property taxes,\u201d Donalds said. \u201cThe budgets of our homeowners haven\u2019t increased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds said Lee County should have gone to a rollback rate. \u201cNow the voters are going to decide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Donalds acknowledged that the increase in costs for public schools is also a large part of the tax increases for residents. He said he opposed the lawsuit by the state teacher\u2019s union suing the state over the funding of public schools.<\/p>\n
The son of an assistant principal and middle school teacher, who worked in public schools in Brooklyn, his wife now runs a nonprofit that advises new charter schools. Donalds backs school choice.<\/p>\n
Donalds said he also wants to reform permitting and planning regulations, \u201cso you can decrease the government side hat does add to costs when it comes to building new homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Told that overdevelopment concerns have become a top issue in a county commissioner race, Donalds said he has heard those concerns but that the issue is \u201ccounty government has not kept up with road infrastructure and quite frankly neither has the state Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds said many citizens are \u201cconcerned about growth because commute times, transportation times and quality of life is decreasing because of congestion and traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds said Southwest Florida needs a \u201cgrowth management plan so we know how Southwest Florida is going to look and evolve in the next 30 years.\u201d <\/p>\n
Right now, Donalds said there is no coordination among the counties in the region.<\/p>\n
When he first ran for Congress, Donalds expressed skepticism of regulations to protect wildlife, saying he thought there were too many bears and panthers.<\/p>\n
Donalds said he believes a study is needed to determine if the panther population has gone up, saying that the panther population has grown to an extent that it may not warrant protections under the Endangered Species Act.<\/p>\n
According to FWC statistics, 20-30 panthers are being killed in vehicle accidents almost every year, and projects such as the Kingston development off Corkscrew Road, have been projected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to contribute to more fatal accidents with panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould panthers be protected? Of course they should be protected but we have to acknowledge that the panther population has grown significantly from when it was put on the Endangered Species List,\u201d Donalds said.<\/p>\n
Donalds did acknowledge that panthers are being killed on local roads, but said \u201cas Florida grows, we need to balance that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida panthers have long been considered one of the most critically endangered species in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you see a panther being killed on the road, I think there has to be an understanding that the panther population has increased significantly, so the Florida panther in of itself under today\u2019s numbers, would actually not qualify for the Endangered Species List.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donalds could not immediately provide the numbers but said there should be a new study of the Florida panther population. Donalds said he also believes panthers need better protections from developments, as well as a better study on their populations. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to balance both,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On data centers, Donalds supports regulations that limits their use of water and energy, and limits proximity to residential neighborhoods. On the other hand, Donalds said he also believes in property rights and if a property owner has permits that won\u2019t increase energy costs on utility customers, he believes they should be allowed.<\/p>\n
Jay Collins<\/p>\n
While Donalds hails from New York City, Collins is from Montana.<\/p>\n
Collins said he \u201cgrew up very poor in a bit of a broken home. The American dream is alive and well,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
A U.S. Army veteran, Collins was a Green Beret medic who served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. A battle in Afghanistan with an enemy combatant led to him being shot and ultimately losing one of his legs. He was able to re-enlist after losing his leg, and left service as a first sergeant.<\/p>\n
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Lt. Gov. Jay Collins<\/p>\n
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After his service, Collins moved to the Tampa area and was elected state senator. He was appointed as lieutenant governor last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n
Collins was recently in Cape Coral, where he spoke about data centers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a concern everywhere,\u201d Collins said. \u201cHyperscale data centers are something we should absolutely be concerned about. We have to know the facts and we have to protect our people in our state. Nobody wants to have power prices go up, nobody wants to see degraded water quality or access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said he is concerned about power shortages, water shortages and price increases. He said he does not yet want to ban data centers, but supports the tactics taken by DeSantis, to focus on ensuring that bills wouldn\u2019t go up where the data centers are built. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere should be no degradation of water quality,\u201d or impacts on local aquifers, or else the data centers shouldn\u2019t be allowed to be built, he said.<\/p>\n
He said there also needs to be clarity and transparency as to who the customers are for the data centers. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to see state overreach,\u201d Collins said. He said the data centers should be decided by local governments.<\/p>\n
Recently, in New York, there was a one-year moratorium put on data centers statewide.<\/p>\n
Collins has also expressed concern about the use of Flock Safety cameras, which has become a growing issue in the state, as their use expands. The Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office utilizes Flock Safety cameras, and license plate readers, as does the Cape Coral Police Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody wants a police state,\u201d Collins said. \u201cNobody wants to have cameras on ever corner, 24\/7, 354,\u201d Collins said. <\/p>\n
He said there is a concern about individual freedoms.<\/p>\n
However, when used properly, Collins said the cameras can be effective in catching dangerous criminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are regulations and authorizations and you can\u2019t have random people doing random things with it. It has to be used as intended, with strict guardrails and accountability. We can never trade our individual freedoms.<\/p>\n
On the state referendum to increase the homestead property exemption up to $250,000 over two years, Collins said taxes in the state have increased too much. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a spending problem,\u201d Collins said. <\/p>\n
Collins wants a trust fund to support fiscally-constrained counties in the bill, to \u201chelp offset that tax base.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said he does have concerns about fiscally-constrained counties being impacted by the loss of revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, I believe it is not the government\u2019s money, it\u2019s the people\u2019s money,\u201d Collins said. \u201cWhen you try to do something bold, people get scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said there are people worried that the property tax exemption could impact public safety and roads, but doesn\u2019t think those concerns are founded. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have plenty of money, we just have to be careful with the way we spend it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Told Lee County is projecting a loss of more than $200 million in property tax revenue. Collins said \u201cI would encourage you guys to go do the math on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins he is proud of his political service in passing legislation for permitless carry, prayer in sports, education reform regarding the required teaching of how socialism and communism is taught in schools.<\/p>\n
After Hurricane Ian, Collins volunteered throughout Southwest Florida in delivering meals. That included being on Fort Myers Beach to serve meals to those who had lost everything in Hurricane Ian. Seeing the destroyed Fort Myers Beach Pier after Hurricane Ian struck a nerve with him, as he said he had just visited the pier weeks before Hurricane Ian.<\/p>\n
On the funding of public schools and the ongoing lawsuit by the state teachers union against the state challenging the state\u2019s funding of public schools, Collins said his children attend public schools. He supports school choice. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fundamentally a good thing but we need accountability as well,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to make sure that everyone is competitive. The money follows the child,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Collins said he would prioritize school choice as governor.<\/p>\n
In the School District of Lee County, where an operating deficit of more than $40 million exists and hundreds of staff members were expected to have been laid off after the end of the school year, Collins said he would need to examine those details.<\/p>\n
DeSantis visited the school district in May where he sharply criticized teacher unions.<\/p>\n
On the topic of development, Collins said \u201cI am a limited pre-preemption person. I don\u2019t like to preempt anymore than I have to. Nobody wants to see overgrowth. We have to maintain our farmland, we have to maintain our waterways, our beaches, our green zones. That is what makes Florida what they are. Likewise, we do need pro-business approaches,\u201d Collins said. <\/p>\n
Collins said he wants quicker permitting with less permit fees for developers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the best way to keep overgrowth from being an issue,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
Collins said that in regards to the threat to the Florida panthers from developments in Lee County and Collier County, \u201cI think we have done a very good job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said \u201cobviously I am on board with protecting what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n