Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to name his new second-in-command: Tampa Republican Sen. Jay Collins. DeSantis on Tuesday is expected to appoint Collins as his lieutenant governor, a largely ceremonial position that has been vacant since February, when former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez left the post to become president of Florida International University.

TAMPA – Noting that the Republican primary race for governor is still more than a year away, Gov. Ron DeSantis hesitated to say anything too definitive about the contest to succeed him on Wednesday. But he did acknowledge that new Lt.

Collins was first elected to Florida’s Republican-dominated state Senate in 2022 and has been seen as one of DeSantis’ key allies in the Legislature. In recent months, GOP legislators loyal to the president have increasingly sparred with the governor, who challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.