Current office
Jay Collins is Florida’s lieutenant governor. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to the position on August 12, 2025, after Collins had served in the Florida Senate. The governor’s current leadership page identifies Collins in the lieutenant governor’s office as of October 28, 2026. His path into statewide government differs from that of someone elected on the original gubernatorial ticket: he entered this office by appointment during an existing administration. His prior Senate seat is a separate office and should not remain linked to him as its current holder. S1S2
Collins’s public career includes more than two decades of Army service, work for a disaster-feeding organization and state legislative office. These parts of his background intersect in subjects such as emergency response and military-family policy, but his biography should distinguish an earlier professional experience from a formal assignment in his current position. The lieutenant governor’s official responsibilities depend on Florida’s constitutional structure and the duties assigned within the administration. S1S3
Early life, education and military background
The Florida Senate’s biographical handbook lists Scobey, Montana, as Collins’s birthplace and records his move to Florida in 2019. It identifies a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from American Military University in 2010 and study at Norwich University in 2012. The Norwich entry does not specify a degree, so it should not be converted into a claimed master’s degree. The same record lists completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2005. S4
His official executive biography describes more than 23 years of service in the Army, including service as a Green Beret. It also records combat injuries that ultimately resulted in the amputation of a leg and states that he continued serving for five years after the amputation. These are details from his published official biography. They are included to describe his service history, not to infer private medical information or make unsupported claims about a particular deployment, operation or award. S1
The military period is significant chronologically because it predates his Florida Senate service. It should not be confused with current command authority: a civilian lieutenant governor is not thereby the commander of a federal military unit. Likewise, an academic course associated with military training is not evidence of an additional university degree. Keeping those distinctions clear produces a more accurate account of Collins’s qualifications and career. S1S4
Work after military service
After leaving military service, Collins worked with Operation BBQ Relief, an organization associated with feeding people during disasters and other emergencies. The governor’s biography identifies that work as part of his transition to civilian public service. The Senate’s historical profile describes his occupation as a chief programs officer for a national nonprofit focused on food needs within and outside disaster areas. S1S4
This experience is separate from operating a government relief agency. Nonprofit staff coordinate their own programs and partnerships, while state agencies act under public authority and appropriations. Collins’s later move into elected office therefore represented a change in both institution and responsibility, rather than simply a new title within the same disaster-response organization.
Florida Senate service
Collins was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022 to represent District 14. The Senate’s historical records identify him as chair of the Agriculture Committee during the 2022–2024 period and chair of Transportation during the 2024–2026 legislative term before his departure. The archived, person-specific record is important: the live district page can display a successor and should not be used to assign that successor’s votes or committees to Collins. S2S5
One measure associated with his transportation work was SB 994 in 2025. The Legislature’s bill history identifies Collins as sponsor and records the measure becoming Chapter 2025-104. It changed driver-education requirements, including requirements relating to applicants for learner’s licenses. The bill passed through committees and both legislative chambers before gubernatorial approval. Sponsorship is a documented part of Collins’s record, but it should not be represented as legislation enacted by him alone. S6
Another example was the 2024 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services bill, CS/CS/SB 1084. The official history identifies Collins as the original sponsor and records enactment as Chapter 2024-137. The measure covered multiple subjects, including state regulation of electric-vehicle charging stations and restrictions on cultivated meat. It is a substantive policy record that readers may examine directly, rather than a generalized claim that he “helped agriculture.” The bill summary and final text should be consulted for the precise provisions and exceptions. S7
Move to the lieutenant governor’s office
The Senate records his resignation on August 12, 2025, matching the date of his appointment as lieutenant governor. That creates a clear break between his legislative service and his statewide executive position. His biography may preserve both periods, but the government roster should show only the executive office as his current seat. S1S2
Florida’s Constitution describes the lieutenant governor’s role in relation to the governor, including assigned duties and succession. The office does not carry an independent power to pass legislation. Nor should the lieutenant governor be listed as a fourth Cabinet member alongside the attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner. The Cabinet and lieutenant governorship are separate parts of the state’s executive structure. S3
Public information and contact
Collins’s official information is available through the Executive Office of the Governor’s leadership section. That page is preferable to old Senate contact details, which belonged to his former district office. Residents seeking correspondence or assistance should use the executive office’s current public contact route and describe the state-government issue they want addressed. S1S8
The government directory should retain Collins’s stable person page if his office changes later. Any election or appointment update must identify when the new officeholder actually takes office, not merely when a campaign announces a result. This profile describes his documented career and his checked current office; it is not an endorsement, a candidate page or a prediction about the next administration.