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Ron DeSantis says Jay Collins has ‘decisions’ to make about 2026

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Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped short Wednesday of formally endorsing Lt. Gov. Jay Collins to succeed him. But DeSantis didn’t close the door either, suggesting the future is in the former state Senator’s hands.

“He’s got a fantastic record, Jay Collins does, and he could be a fantastic Governor,” DeSantis told radio host Jenna Ellis.

After spending some time outlining his oft-repeated tagline that Collins is the “Chuck Norris of Florida Politics,” DeSantis addressed the question of whether the LG should run for the top job next year.

Noting his belief that Collins has the “leadership capability to actually serve as Governor should that need arise,” DeSantis suggested there is something of a groundswell for the Tampa Republican to angle for a promotion from the Republican electorate.

“I think a lot of people are like saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got to run,’ because they see his story, they see his record, and most people in Florida didn’t know who he was prior to last week. Now more people are getting to know him,” DeSantis said. “So he’s going to be making decisions about, you know, what he’s going to do in terms of campaigns.”

DeSantis added that he wouldn’t have appointed Collins had he not been “confident that he would be somebody that would not only continue Florida’s success, but build on it and take it to new levels.”

The looming question over Collins’ political future as a potential challenger to Republican front-runner Byron Donalds, of course, is the slow decision-making of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who continues to take her time amid ongoing speculation that she may enter the race.

Both the Governor and First Lady have suggested there is plenty of time for ambivalence.

“Politics will take care of itself. I mean, we have a whole year before we even have a Primary, and so that’s a lifetime in politics,” the Governor said last week.

Similarly, Casey DeSantis has suggested that people are “tired of politics” and said previously that it’s “more than a year from qualifying.”

For his part, Collins seems eager to run if given the green light to do so.

“When you’re talking about jobs like this or opportunities like this, I owe our state, our people, my family, our community, that due diligence to look into it, to make sure that that’s something that’s good for my wife and kids … good for my local community, good for our state … good for Governor DeSantis and the people around us. And if all those things come into alignment, then it’s something you look at,” Collins said in May.


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Gov. DeSantis appoints Toni Zetzsche, reups Marilyn Pearson-Adams and Gino Collura on PHSC Board

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Her doggedness over the DOGE data earned Pearson-Adams another nod from DeSantis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has reappointed Marilyn Pearson-Adams and Gino Collura to the Pasco-Hernando State College District Board of Trustees, while also appointing Toni Zetzsche to fill another seat.

The appointments come at a time of turnover. Former Board President Jesse Pisors resigned earlier this year after the college experienced negative growth, ranking second to last in the state for student retention. Eric Hall succeeded Pisors.

Trustees establish Board rules and policies for the college and oversee its governance in accordance with state statutes and State Board of Education rules. But Pisors withheld the data from them for around a year, according to an article by WUSF. The data was gathered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) established by DeSantis.

Pearson-Adams is a longtime Trustee and a former Chair and Vice Chair. She chaired the Board during the data controversy, but was succeeded by Nicole Newlon for the 2025-26 school year in July. Pearson-Adams’s doggedness over the DOGE data earned her another nod from DeSantis.

Pearson-Adams is the owner and broker of Century 21 Alliance Realty in Spring Hill, is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Florida Realtors and the Hernando County Association of Realtors, and was inducted into the National Association of Realtors Hall of Fame in 2020. She attended El Camino Junior College.

Collura is the founder of Big Guava Management, serves on the board of Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises Inc., and is an advisory board member for the University of South Florida College of Education, the Saint Leo University College of Arts and Sciences and Heroes Adapt Inc. He earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in international relations and doctorate in neuroanthropology from the University of South Florida.

Zetzsche is the chief communications and community engagement officer for Pasco County Schools. She is a member of the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Council for Exceptional Children and the Pasco County Commission on the Status of Women. She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of South Florida, a master’s degree in elementary education from Roosevelt University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Capella University.

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.



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Gov. DeSantis appoints Alan Suskey, Cody Vanlandingham to Florida Athletic Commission

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Gov. Ron DeSantis has named two new members to the Florida Athletic Commission, which oversees and licenses the state’s combat sports activities, like boxing, mixed martial arts and kickboxing.

Both — Alan Suskey and Cody Vanlandingham — gave thousands to his federal political action committee, Restore Our Nation (RON) PAC, Federal Election Commission records show.

Suskey is a lobbyist and U.S. Army veteran who works as Executive Vice President of Shumaker Advisors, a government advocacy firm with multiple locations across Florida, five other states and Washington, D.C.

He is a current Board member of Florida is for Veterans and has served on the Boards of the St. Petersburg Pier Aquarium, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, CareerSource Pinellas and Veterans Florida, among other involvements.

Suskey, who earned a degree in political science from American Military University, has made about $51,000 worth of federal-level contributions, including $3,300 to RON PAC one day after DeSantis launched his unsuccessful bid for President in 2023.

Suskey gave $7,000 to U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, $8,000 to U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, $2,000 to U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean and about $3,500 to former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a prominent Democratic candidate for Governor, when Jolly was still a Republican.

Since 2009, Suskey has also donated more than $89,000 to state-level political candidates, the overwhelming share of whom were Republican. His largest single donation was a $23,000 check to Senate President Ben Albritton’s political committee in 2023. He also gave $1,250 to former House Speaker Chris Sprowls, $2,250 to former Speaker Paul Renner and $116 to DeSantis’ now-closed political committee, Empower Parents, whose Chair, CFO Blaise Ingoglia, also received $1,000 from Suskey.

Suskey is heavily involved in The Process, also donating to Democratic lawmakers including state Sens. Tina Scott Polsky, Darryl Rouson and Jason Pizzo — who has since become an independent — and former state Reps. Ramon Alexander and Rick Kriseman.

Vanlandingham, a doctor with the Tallahassee Medical Group, gave $9,900 to RON PAC within a week of DeSantis’ presidential announcement.

Florida records show no state-level campaign donation activity by Vanlandingham, who doesn’t appear to be registered to vote.

Vanlandingham’s community involvements are many, according to the Governor’s Office, which noted his membership to the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, Capital Medical Society and College of Medicine Selection Committee at Florida State University, where he earned his medical degree.

Suskey and Vanlandingham’s appointments, made late last week, are subject to Senate confirmation.



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Gov. DeSantis not worried about federal AI executive order, says Florida limits would prevail in legal challenge

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Gov. Ron DeSantis is again pushing back against the idea that a “one rule” executive order from President Donald Trump protecting the artificial intelligence industry will limit Florida from passing laws against the industry.

During a roundtable at Florida Atlantic University, DeSantis said he was confident that much of what he wants to do falls within what is permissible under Trump’s order. And he also believes that the state would prevail if Attorney General Pam Bondi took legal action against Florida for going too far.

“The President issued an executive order, and some people were saying, ‘Well, no, this blocks the states from doing it.’ It doesn’t,” DeSantis said.

“First of all, an executive order can’t block the states. You can preempt states under Article 1 powers through congressional legislation on certain issues, but you can’t do it through executive order. But if you read it, they actually say a lot of the stuff we’re talking about are things that they’re encouraging states to do. They say it doesn’t prevent child safety. It doesn’t prevent any of that stuff. So even reading it very broadly, I think the stuff we’re doing is going to be very consistent. But irrespective, clearly we have a right to do this.”

Trump’s order, issued Thursday, compels Bondi to “establish an AI Litigation Task Force (Task Force) whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws inconsistent with the policy set forth in section 2 of this order, including on grounds that such laws unconstitutionally regulate interstate commerce, are preempted by existing Federal regulations, or are otherwise unlawful in the Attorney General’s judgment.”

The goal, per the EO, is to establish “a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones” to “sustain and enhance the United States’ global AI dominance.”

But DeSantis says that unlike “woke” states like Colorado and California that want to pass their own laws, Florida’s would comport with the guidance from the President, much of which is toothless without legislation.

“I don’t anticipate that even happening against any of the stuff we’re doing in Florida. But if it does, I think we would be well-positioned to be able to prevail on that. So I don’t think that’s going to be a bar for us creating a bill of rights for people and making sure,” he said, seemingly unconcerned about what he called the “dormant Commerce Clause.”

At Monday’s event, DeSantis repeated his concerns about data centers and foreign labor brought in to work at them and power usage, as well as deepfakes and people using images and likenesses falsely, Chinese technology, AI mental health therapy, and protections for consumers and parental rights, including data privacy protections.

“This is basically protecting against this technology running amok,” DeSantis said.



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