TAMPA, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed State Sen. Jay Collins as the state’s lieutenant governor.

The governor's announcement and Collins' swearing-in ceremony took place at a news conference in Tampa on Tuesday morning.

Collins succeeds Jeanette Nunez, who stepped down earlier this year after being named president of Florida International University.

Who is Jay Collins?

The backstory:

Collins has represented District 14 -- which covers western portions of Hillsborough County -- in the Florida Senate since his election in 2022.

Prior to holding public office, Collins served in the U.S. Army from 1995 until 2018, including several overseas deployments as a Green Beret. Collins had his leg amputated after suffering chronic injuries during combat, but continued to serve

See Full Page