Lt. Gov. Jay Collins held an impromptu press conference on Monday at the Urban Stillhouse in St. Petersburg. Image: Screengrab.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins has doubled down on his bid to become Florida’s next governor. The former Green Beret also took aim at “pay-to-play media” and his top opponent, a fellow Republican.
Collins, speaking at a Monday morning press conference in St. Petersburg, repeatedly warned that Democratic candidate David Jolly, who is from the area, could beat U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in November if he is the Republican nominee. A recent Emerson College Polling survey found that Donalds holds a commanding lead among his party (46%) in the race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“The pundits will tell you it’s an uphill fight. Good,” said Collins, a Purple Heart recipient. “Nothing good in life is easy. The facts of the matter are this: We are not done fighting.”
Collins, a Tampa resident, began by acknowledging recent reports from “experts, X (formerly Twitter) accounts, and, of course, the effervescent pay-to-play media” regarding his campaign odds. Just 4% of participants in the Emerson College Polling (ECP) survey supported his candidacy, while 39% remain undecided.
Instead of suspending his campaign, Collins announced an initial “seven-figure statewide media buy to tell our story, to lay out exactly what we’re fighting for.” He pledged to keep living costs affordable and support safer communities.
“We are going to make sure criminals, and criminal illegal immigrants, are dealt with,” Collins added. “These are the issues that matter to the people of Florida.”
Collins, who moved to Tampa Bay in 2018 after a decorated 20-year military career, said he represents all 23.5 million Florida residents. He believes the gubernatorial race is about “who can win the general election” rather than campaign funding or endorsements.
Donalds, from Naples, raised $22.4 million in the first three months of 2026. Collins garnered $1.74 million, the second most among Republican candidates.
Collins said he and DeSantis helped send Donald Trump, who gave Donalds his “complete and total” endorsement in February 2025, back to the White House. The governor has yet to support a candidate, and some experts expect his wife, Casey, to run.
“Polling indicates a serious risk of David Jolly becoming the next governor of Florida if Byron (Donalds) is the Republican nominee,” Collins said. “This is not a risk we can afford to take in Florida.”
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump; Trump is shown here with Rep. Byron Donalds, whom he endorsed in February 2025. Photo: U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ office.
Collins then went on the attack. He noted that his opponent’s “closest advisor, a man that he calls his brother, was arrested for sexual assault of a minor and later pleaded guilty to assaulting another woman and was charged with multiple other violent felonies.”
“It gets worse,” Collins continued. “Donalds is one of only 28 members of Congress and one of just two in Florida to vote against a bipartisan bill to improve how the FBI investigates child sexual abuse and trafficking.”
Collins said Donalds claims to oppose congressional stock trading yet completed nearly 200 transactions totaling approximately $2.8 million without “proper disclosure.” The lieutenant governor also called out the congressman for admitting to a third-degree felony for financial crimes while withholding the more serious second-degree charge.
“Charter schools connected to Donalds received tens of millions in public funding, with roughly 30% going to outside companies tied to his family,” Collins said. He also took issue with his opponent’s declaration that George Floyd’s death was a “heinous murder at a time when law enforcement was at risk.”
However, Donalds subsequently voted against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and supports qualified immunity for police officers. “He has flip-flopped on issues like a fish out of water,” Collins said.
“I wrestled with whether we should have a press conference like this,” he added. “These issues get talked about now, or they get talked about in October. We cannot risk this state falling and having Jolly as our next governor.”
In ECP’s hypothetical ballot test, Jolly, a Pinellas County native, received 39% of the vote. Donalds garnered 44%, with 17% of those polled remaining undecided and a 2.8% margin of error.
A poll highlighting how potential Democratic candidates would fare against U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in November. Image: Emerson College Polling.
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