Lt. Gov. Jay Collins says if he’s elected Governor in November, he will do what is necessary to remove judges and prosecutors who see the rule of law differently than he does.
“The leftist prosecutors who ignore the oath of office and coddle criminals have to be dealt with. If they can’t do their job to protect our people, then they need to be removed from office. That will continue under my administration,” the Ron DeSantis appointee said in his home city of Tampa, just blocks away from MacDill Air Force Base.
“And let me be very clear. That is not politics. That is protecting our people. If you knowingly put people’s lives at risk because of your political beliefs, there’s accountability, and we’ll make sure that comes. We’re going to have to continue to examine ways to more efficiently remove judges who put the public at risk playing the same games.”
In 2022, DeSantis suspended 15th Circuit State Attorney Andrew Warren, citing failure to enforce bans on abortion and gender-affirming surgery. DeSantis suspended 9th Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell a year later over not seeking mandatory minimum sentences on crimes involving firearms. Worrell was elected to office again in 2024, but Warren was not.
It is unclear how Collins seeks to “efficiently remove judges” should he be elected.
Collins also is warning of foreign and domestic terror threats and vows that he will work to stop them. He spotlighted Chinese and Iranian dangers, as well as those from illegal immigrants, before outlining policy prescriptions dealing with drones, spies and other efforts to undermine national security.
Collins, who was a Green Beret before retiring from the Army, wants to “ban visa holders from all nations of terror and or espionage and concern from attending Florida universities and working for Florida companies, relying on government contracts.” He added that “fusing and utilizing federal, state and local assets effectively, is critical in how we do this” in the interest of counteracting spying.
He also wants to “work with federal agencies to increase the amount of Florida state and local officers and deputies brought into federal task forces” with sharing of “critical information” to keep Floridians safe.
