TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Republican state Sen. Jay Collins to be his next lieutenant governor Tuesday. It’s a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can’t run for reelection in 2026 and has been working to cement his legacy as his time leading the state winds down.
If Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Donald Trump, who has already endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Sen. Jay Collins, (R-District 14) left, surrounded by family members and Governor Ron DeSantis, takes the oath of office after being named the new Lieutenant Governor of Florida during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Senator Jay Collins (R-District 14) waves to the crowd after being sworn in as the new Lieutenant Governor of Florida during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
FILE - This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as "Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis via AP, file)
During a news conference announcing his pick at the Green Beret Association in Tampa on Tuesday, DeSantis praised Collins as an “ally” and a principled conservative.
“What I was looking for is someone that can be lieutenant governor that will help us deliver more wins for the people of Florida — and then also that is capable of serving and leading as governor, if that need were ever to arise,” the governor said during the news conference in Tampa, which Collins represents.
Collins was sworn in minutes after the announcement, with his wife Layla and their two young sons at his side, while the governor and first lady Casey DeSantis looked on.
Collins pledged to help deliver on DeSantis' agenda, which he said has made Florida the country's “conservative proving grounds."
"The goal is to help him finish the mission and keep Florida strong," Collins said of DeSantis, adding, “you don’t flinch when the next mission comes up. You just say, ‘Yes, sir. Let’s go.'”
Born in Montana, Collins has talked openly about personal challenges he has overcome, including experiencing homelessness while in high school. He went on to join the Army Special Forces and ultimately lost a leg, but continued to serve five more years as a Green Beret using a prosthetic leg post-amputation, according to a campaign biography.
Taking the stage Tuesday, Collins made light of the injury he sustained, saying he was proud to serve the country that afforded him so many opportunities.
“I want you to know that I’ve got my sleeves rolled up, I’ve got my running leg on, and we are ready to get things done,” Collins said.
In recent years, Collins has served as the chief operating officer of Operation BBQ Relief, which deploys cooks and mobile kitchens to deliver hot meals in the aftermath of natural disasters. In June, Collins also flew to Israel to help support state-funded flights to evacuate Americans as Israel and Iran traded missile strikes.
"Why would you want to go in to Israel when Iran is raining rockets down? Most people would take a pass on that," DeSantis said of Collins, calling him “the Chuck Norris of Florida politics.”
The seat had been vacant since February, when then-lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez was appointed to lead one of the state’s public universities. In Florida, the lieutenant governor position is largely ceremonial with few official responsibilities, apart from taking over if the governor cannot serve.
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.
The appointment is seen as a way for DeSantis to elevate a potential successor in 2026, though the governor has repeatedly talked up his wife, Casey DeSantis, for the job, while taking shots at Trump’s pick.
Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Sen. Jay Collins, (R-District 14) left, surrounded by family members and Governor Ron DeSantis, takes the oath of office after being named the new Lieutenant Governor of Florida during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Senator Jay Collins (R-District 14) waves to the crowd after being sworn in as the new Lieutenant Governor of Florida during a news conference Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
FILE - This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as "Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis via AP, file)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.
The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.
Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.
“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.
The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.
Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.
Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.
The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.
St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.
Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.
Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
