Lt. Gov. Jay Collins finally mentioned Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL), calling him "H1-Byron" in a response to The Floridian's request to name Donalds on social media this week.
The nickname is a jab at Rep. Donalds' possible support for H1-B visas, which allow employers to hire foreign professionals temporarily with a bachelor's degree or equivalent to work in specialty occupations, such as IT specialists, engineers, or scientists. James Fishback, another potential gubernatorial candidate, has also called Donalds "H1-Byron."
Collins, who has hinted at a gubernatorial run seemingly for months, also implied accomplishing more than "the guy in Congress still trying to convince people he’s ready to lead Florida."
It doesn't take a genius to know he was talking about Donalds.
He also highlighted his first 100-day accomplishments since being appointed lieutenant governor in August.
- Launched Operation Senior Shield
- Launched our statewide Public Safety Roundtable series
- Joined First Lady Casey DeSantis as Co-Chair of the Florida MAHA Commission
- Took a boots-on-the-ground approach helping our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
- Traveled every corner of the state to listen, lead, and fight for Floridians
This is the first serious shot by Collins at Donalds, who is arguably the Republican favorite in the race for governor. Collins swiped at members of Congress, but didn't mention Donalds directly, for being more concerned about making media appearances instead of passing legislation last week on social media.
The dig followed an appearance by Donalds on The Benny Show with popular Conservative commentator Benny Johnson. Notably, Donalds discussed abolishing H-1 B visas, as well as capping legal immigration, during the conversation.
However, Donalds indicated being against taxing businesses that hire H-1 B workers.
Does this mean Collins is running for governor? And will Donalds even respond to Collins or ignore the jab?
Hard to say. Collins' half-foot in/half-foot approach for governor on social media might drag on a bit longer, according to Floridian publisher Javier Manjarres.
At least we're getting somewhere. It might just be a political version of The Lord of the Rings movies until we finally come to a true ending.
The Florida gubernatorial election is Nov. 3, 2026.
