Newly-appointed Lt. Governor Jay Collins has tapped two of Gov. Ron DeSantis' administrations top aides to spearhead his office, and possibly help him navigate through Florida's statewide political landscape in the near future.
To run his day-to-day operations, Lt. Gov. Collins is bringing on Jared Williams as his chief of staff.
As for helping him to communicate both his and Gov. DeSantis' message, Collins has named the governor's deputy press secretary, Brian Wright, to head up his press shop.
Wright and Williams coming over from DeSantis' team could be the first of several pivots within the executive office.
Jared Williams
Jared Williams has been tapped to serve as the Florida Lieutenant Governor's Chief of Staff. Jared served as Deputy Secretary of Professions at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where he directed a staff of more than 320 employees, managed a budget exceeding $40 million, and oversaw licensing for over a million professionals across 20+ industries. Previously, Jared served in the Executive Office of the Governor in multiple senior roles. As Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, he managed strategic operations for major state agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Department of Military Affairs. He also served as Deputy Director of Communications, directing statewide messaging strategies across multiple policy areas and leading public relations efforts to advance gubernatorial priorities. Earlier in his career, Jared worked as Environmental Policy Chief, where he directed policy analysis and legislative tracking for environmental and natural resource issues. Jared holds a Master’s in Applied American Politics and Policy from Florida State University and a bachelor’s in biology from Florida State University.
Brian Wright
Brian Wright has been tapped to serve as the Florida Lieutenant Governor's Deputy Chief of Staff. He previously served as Deputy Press Secretary to Governor Ron DeSantis and as Director of External Affairs for Senator Rick Scott’s 2024 U.S. Senate re-election campaign. Brian also held senior leadership roles in the Florida Office of the Attorney General, including Director of External Affairs and Deputy Public Affairs Director. He also served U.S. Senator Marco Rubio as a Regional Representative in the Tampa Bay area. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tampa and is currently pursuing a master’s in public administration at Florida State University.
