Jay Collins Drops Ad Highlighting Military Service in Gubernatorial Bid

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins launched a statewide ad buy this week highlighting his service as a Green Beret and as a public servant in his campaign for governor of Florida.

The 30-second ad, titled Warrior, also pitches Lt. Gov. Collins' ability to keep costs affordable, communities safer, build stronger families, and remove criminal illegal aliens to keep Florida a "free state" in his bid.

Lt. Gov. Collins served for over two decades in the Army Special Forces, earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his military service. His left leg was also amputated in 2014 after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan in 2007.

Quiet Professionals FL, chaired by Collins, sponsored the ad.

“We risk handing our state over if we don’t double down on the legacies built by Governor DeSantis and President Trump,” Collins said in a release. “We can’t afford to have a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion. This race is about who can defeat the Democrats in November.”

Collins' video release comes amid some speculation on social media that he was ending his gubernatorial campaign, which he vehemently dismissed at a press conference in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Collins also took the time to attack U.S. Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) for his past misconduct and inner circle. In addition, Collins dropped a large "liabilities" file on Donalds while saying he would lose to Democratic candidate David Jolly in the general election.

Collins is in a Republican primary with Rep. Donalds, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback for the nomination.

The release comes after Collins raised roughly $2.2 million in fundraising for November's election. Notably, the figure was significantly less than that of Rep. Donalds, who raised a whopping $22 million in the first quarter.

Collins, however, was ahead of Renner, who raised just over $700,000.

The primary is Aug. 18, 2026.