Jay Collins Names Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie as Running Mate
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins evening at Crabby Bill’s in Palm Harbor, one day before Republican voters choose the party’s nominee for governor.
In a post on x.com, Collins wrote:
“Tonight, we’re making a major announcement about the future of Florida. This campaign has always been about service, leadership, and putting Floridians first. Tonight, I’ll introduce the person I’ve chosen to stand beside me in that fight.”
Under Florida law, the nominee has until 5 p.m. on the ninth day after the primary, or Aug. 27 this year, to designate a running mate in writing to the Department of State. Collins announced his pick for lieutenant governor on the eve before the primary election.
Guthrie has led the Florida Division of Emergency Management since May 2021, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him. He joined the division as chief of staff in 2018 and became deputy director in 2019. Before that he spent 23 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as a police officer and emergency preparedness coordinator, then served as public safety and emergency management director in Flagler County and as an assistant county administrator in Pasco County.
President Donald Trump appointed Guthrie to the FEMA Review Council in April 2025. Guthrie co-led the council’s Disaster Response and Recovery Assessment Subcommittee, and the panel’s recommendations, released in May, would move substantial disaster responsibility from the federal government to the states.
The pick puts two disaster-response resumes on one ticket. Collins served as chief operating officer of Operation BBQ Relief, which sends mobile kitchens to feed people after natural disasters, and DeSantis cited his hurricane recovery work when appointing him lieutenant governor in August 2025.
Collins is the third candidate in the race to name a running mate and the second Republican. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who leads public polling, has not named anyone, and neither has former House Speaker Paul Renner. Democrat David Jolly named former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham in June. Republican James Fishback named Lauderhill police officer Sean Lozano, a pick now under criminal investigation by the Broward County State Attorney’s Public Corruption Unit.
Polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters are choosing each party’s nominee, not the next governor. The general election is Nov. 3.
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Sources: “Only Two Florida Governor Candidates Have Named a Running Mate,” The Citrus Tea News, thecitrustea.com, August [DATE], 2026; Florida Statutes 99.063, “Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor,” The Florida Senate, flsenate.gov; “Meet The Executive Director,” Florida Division of Emergency Management, floridadisaster.org; “President Trump Appoints New Members to Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, dhs.gov, April 28, 2025; “FEMA Review Council digs into agency functions, responsibilities,” Federal News Network, federalnewsnetwork.com, July 11, 2025; “Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council proposes major redesign of federal disaster response role,” CBS News, cbsnews.com, May 7, 2026; “Governor’s race: James Fishback’s pro-law enforcement running mate under criminal investigation,” WLRN, wlrn.org, August 5, 2026; “Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins joins 2026 governor Republican primary against Trump-backed candidate,” Associated Press, apnews.com;
