VOTE FOR JAY COLLINS! I have been vocal in my support of our current Lieutenant Governor @JayCollinsFL in his run for Governor. As tomorrow is the primary election day here, I want to tell you WHY I support him beyond his honorable service defending our great nation as a Green Beret. I want to talk Florida, just Florida. When I look at someone running for governor, I am not really interested in a long list of campaign promises, as I served on the Hill, a "promise" is a whole lot of nothing. I want to know what they have already done when they had the opportunity to do something. The best predictor of future behavior is past performance. For me because we all care about different issues, what I want for Florida is pretty simple. I want this to be a safe, affordable, resilient place where people can build a good life, put down roots, and actually want to contribute to the communities around them. I want us paying attention to threats before they become crises. I also want Florida protected from influence both foreign and domestic, terrorism, espionage, cyber threats, and threats to our critical infrastructure. I want law enforcement officers and first responders supported and given the tools they need to do their jobs. I want our kids to not be indoctrinated in schools and to understand history, including the parts of it that are uncomfortable and the consequences of ideas that have already failed terribly. I want veterans and military families to know there is a place for them here after service. I want young Floridians to have real pathways into good careers, whether that means college, technical education, an apprenticeship, the trades, public safety, aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or something else entirely. I want our elders to be able to retire with dignity and host tons of golf cart and boat parades. I care deeply about protecting the natural environment that makes Florida Florida. Because we live where we do, I also want us to continue to have the best hurricane preparedness and response capability in the country. More than that, I want our communities resilient enough to handle any crisis that comes our way. We aren't going to sit around and wait on someone else to save us, especially when that someone else is the federal government and worse, FEMA. And I want people to be able to afford to stay here. That is the lens through which I started looking at Jay Collins's record in the Florida Senate. What caught my attention is that I can already find evidence of him working on many of these things. So, let's walk through key parts one-by-one. (1) Protect Florida Before the Threat Gets Here This is probably the area that immediately stood out to me, in part because it is actually how I first met him. In early 2025, Collins reached out to me and my good friend Scott Mann and asked us to provide him with a threat briefing on Al-Qaeda. Scott was also leading an effort at the time called Gathering Storm, focused on helping Americans and their communities prepare for critical event, like a terrorist attack. That first meeting stuck with me because Collins was not asking for a briefing after something had happened. He wanted to understand the threat beforehand. You need to deal with real issues early. Floridians know Shamsuddin Jabbar from ISIS cased Tampa, he chose between Tampa and New Orleans. We could have just as easily lost Floridians on January 1st, 2025. I have spent much of my career thinking about threats in exactly those terms, the cause and effect, and more importantly the ripples. The best time to understand a threat is before it reaches you. The best time to identify vulnerabilities is before someone exploits them. And the best time to build relationships, capabilities, and plans is before you desperately need them. When I later started digging into his legislative record, I realized that same thinking was already there. Collins sponsored SB 1430, legislation dealing specifically with postjudgment proceedings related to terrorism. That bill made it across the finish line and became Florida law in 2025. Also, in 2025, Collins introduced SB 912, Threats from Foreign Nations. It would have required certain agents acting on behalf of foreign adversaries to register with the Florida Attorney General. It also proposed a Florida Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, a Florida Secure Communications Act, and something I found particularly interesting: a Pacific Conflict Stress Test designed to examine Florida's vulnerabilities in the event of a conflict affecting the Pacific. Not every significant piece of legislation makes it across the finish line in a single session. What matters to me is that Collins identified the vulnerability and put forward a plan to address it. And as governor, he would have a much bigger opportunity to keep pushing. We have watched that happen repeatedly in Florida under Governor DeSantis. Major policy changes often take more than one legislative session. An idea gets introduced, legislators debate it, it gets refined, support is built, and sometimes it comes back before it finally becomes law. A governor has something an individual senator does not: the ability to keep an issue at the center of a statewide legislative agenda and continue working with the Legislature to move it forward. That makes me look at Collins's unfinished legislative work a little differently. I see issues he has already identified and work he could continue as governor. And there is plenty here worth protecting. Foreign adversaries do not suddenly become our concern when someone in Washington tells us they are. They look for access, influence, technology, infrastructure, information, and vulnerabilities wherever they can find them. Florida has major ports, military installations, universities, aerospace and defense industries, agriculture, emerging technology, financial institutions, critical infrastructure, and a rapidly growing population. We should be thinking about how all of that is protected before someone finds the vulnerability for us. Collins also introduced SB 1554, the Florida First Responder and Florida Public Safety Act, which included something even more directly aligned with what I care about: establishing a dedicated Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Unit within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That is a proposal I would very much like to see him pick back up and fight for as governor. States cannot outsource every security problem to Washington. Terrorist networks, foreign intelligence services, and other bad actors do not care which level of government has jurisdiction. Florida needs the ability to recognize threats early, connect information, protect vulnerabilities, and act before warning becomes crisis. And I think there is a larger philosophy here that extends well beyond terrorism. A couple of years ago, after hurricanes Milton and Helene hit our area, Collins was not sitting somewhere waiting for someone to tell him what needed to be done. He was in our local community every day volunteering and helping with the work in front of him. He lives by a pretty simple motto that comes from service (because we get voluntold a lot otherwise, ha ha): If you see something that needs to get done, just go do it. Because preparedness only gets you so far if nobody is willing to act. A hurricane and a terrorist attack are obviously very different events as I've worked responses to both, but strong communities rely on many of the same fundamentals when a crisis hits. People need to recognize what is happening. They need to know what to do. Government and first responders need to communicate and coordinate. Critical systems need to keep functioning. And neighbors need to be willing to help neighbors. I want someone in the governor's office who sees a problem, takes the time to understand it, prepares for it, and then actually does something about it. We know hurricanes are coming. But I also want Florida thinking much bigger about the crises we cannot predict, because those are often the ones that test us the most. (2) Strong Communities Are Resilient Communities That same thinking carries over to law enforcement and first responders. Collins's public-safety legislation addressed emergency communications and how agencies respond when someone needs help. SB 1554 proposed greater interoperability and a unified 911 system designed to get the closest available first responder to an emergency, regardless of jurisdiction. I hope the Florida Legislature continues pushing this forward, and that Collins, as governor, keeps working to break down the silos that can slow our response when every minute matters. In 2024, he sponsored SB 718 addressing first-responder exposure to fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. That measure became law. To me, supporting law enforcement and first responders should mean more than saying we "back the blue." It means looking at the problems they actually face and making sure they have the authorities, protections, communications, training, and resources they need to just simply do their jobs. That support for law enforcement is also reflected in the people who do the job. The Florida Police Benevolent Association, the state's largest law-enforcement union representing more than 30,000 law-enforcement officers, correctional officers, and public-safety professionals, endorsed Collins for governor. Its president, John Kazanjian, said Jay has consistently been there when law enforcement needed an ally. That carries weight with me. I want Florida setting the national standard here, and that includes how we prepare for and respond to disasters. We know storms are coming. Every one should make us better at preparing, communicating, evacuating when necessary, protecting critical infrastructure, getting first responders where they need to go, restoring essential services, and helping communities get back on their feet. But resilience cannot begin when a storm appears on the weather map. It is built beforehand. That is the Florida I want: a state that can take a hit, respond quickly, learn from it, and come back stronger. Collins has no problem taking hits and coming back. (3) Teach the History We Already Paid For Education is another area where Collins has already done something tangible. He sponsored SB 1264, History of Communism, which became Florida law in 2024 and expanded instruction on the history of communism, communist regimes, their victims, and the consequences those systems had around the world. This matters to me because we are losing the generations who personally remember many of the defining events of the twentieth century. When we stop teaching young people what happened, why it happened, and where these ideas ultimately led, we leave a vacuum. And extremist ideologies are very good at filling vacuums, particularly when they can present old ideas to young people as something new. I have spent enough time studying extremist movements to know that you do not protect people from dangerous ideas by pretending those ideas do not exist. You talk about them. You teach the history honestly. You explain how people were drawn into them, what was promised, what actually happened, and who ultimately paid the price. History should not tell kids what to think. It should give them enough knowledge to recognize what they are looking at, question what they are being told, and think critically for themselves. On this one, Collins does not have to tell me what he would do. He already did it. (4) Give People a Path to Build a Life Here I also care deeply about what happens after someone takes off the uniform. After spending so many years as a quiet, but definitely not silent professional, in some of the worst places on the planet gave me a deep appreciation for those who were not only willing to step into the fight, but who stepped up to protect our way of life in the first place. Supporting veterans cannot end with simply thanking them for their service. Collins sponsored legislation expanding veterans' programs, employment and training opportunities, and assistance for military families. His 2024 veterans package included efforts to connect veterans and military spouses with Florida businesses, expand education and training in high-demand fields, and support veteran entrepreneurship. In 2025, he sponsored SB 910, Veterans' Benefits Assistance, aimed at protecting veterans from predatory practices by people charging them for help accessing their benefits. That legislation became law. He also sponsored legislation addressing educational opportunities for military children, with his Senate bill passing 36-0 before related House legislation ultimately became law. What I like about that record is that it looks beyond the word "veteran." It asks what happens next. Can that veteran translate years of military experience into a civilian career? Can the spouse who moved repeatedly because of military service build a career too? Can their kids succeed in Florida schools? Can they afford a home? Is there enough opportunity here that when they finally get to decide where they want to live, they choose Florida? I want the answer to be YES. And I think we should be asking those same questions about young Floridians. A four-year college degree is a great path for some people, I myself am a proud UCF grad myself, Go Knights! But, it is not the only path to a successful life. I want a kid graduating from a Florida high school to look around and see options: college, technical education, apprenticeships, skilled trades, public safety, construction, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, energy, and entrepreneurship. There are a lot of ways to become really good at something, earn a good living, raise a family, and contribute to your community. Collins's veterans legislation already emphasized training people for high-demand fields and connecting them with Florida employers who need those skills. I would like to see that same thinking applied much more broadly as governor. We should be building pathways from Florida classrooms and technical programs directly into the industries we need to grow here. And we should treat a young person becoming a highly skilled electrician, welder, aircraft technician, first responder, machinist, or cybersecurity professional with the same respect we give someone heading to a four-year university. Success should not have one definition. (5) Protect the Florida We Are Building All of This For Growth matters, but I do not want Florida's success to come at the expense of Florida. Our beaches, waterways, springs, wetlands, wildlife, and natural spaces are part of our economy, our quality of life, and the resilience of our communities. Collins has already worked in this space, sponsoring SB 162 to strengthen Florida's water and wastewater workforce and help keep those critical systems operating during emergencies. It became law in 2023. As Collins was vice chair of the Florida Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, I would like to see him build on that as governor by continuing to protect Florida's water, natural resources, and the infrastructure our communities depend on. There is no point in building an incredibly successful Florida if, somewhere along the way, we destroy the things that made people want to call this place home. And the people who make those communities work have to be able to afford to stay in them. The cost of simply building a life in Florida is becoming harder to ignore. Housing, property taxes, homeowners insurance, rent, and energy costs all add up, and eventually they determine who can actually afford to stay. Can a teacher live near the school where she teaches? Can a police officer or firefighter afford a home in the community he serves? Can a young family put down roots? Can someone who has spent decades building a life here afford to remain part of it? I do not want Florida to become a place where owning a home is increasingly reserved for people who arrive with significant wealth while the people who actually make our communities function are pushed farther and farther away. Owning a home should provide stability. It should not become a new source of anxiety every year because the insurance premium and property-tax bill arrives and suddenly the math no longer maths. Collins has a record of working on Florida's insurance problems, sponsoring SB 312 in 2023, which made it across the finish line and became Florida law. That is why Collins's proposals on property taxes, insurance, and energy costs are important. He has also proposed eliminating homestead property taxes on primary residences while creating a transition intended to protect essential services and smaller counties that depend on that revenue. He is talking about continuing efforts to reduce insurance costs, addressing fraud, and protecting reforms intended to stabilize the market. And on energy, he is arguing that families and seniors should not end up carrying the cost of enormous new power demands from data centers and other major users. Those are big proposals, and getting them done will take work with the Legislature, regulators, local governments, and others. But that is exactly why leadership matters. You keep pushing, refine the policy, build support, and bring it back until you get something meaningful done. I grew up in a small town, under 3,000 people small, so I know what it means to live somewhere people actually know one another. I want Florida families to be able to put down roots in communities like that, where you know your neighbors, coach the local team, volunteer, support the businesses down the street, and show up for each other. That sense of community matters every day, but you really understand its value when something goes wrong. You cannot create those relationships three days before a crisis like a hurricane. They have to already be there. What Comes Next: This is where I think the difference between serving in the Senate and becoming governor really matters. A senator can introduce legislation and build support for it. A governor has the opportunity to take those individual ideas and turn them into a sustained statewide agenda. We have watched the importance of that under Governor DeSantis. Legislative wins do not always happen on the first attempt. A governor can keep priorities in front of lawmakers, put resources behind them, incorporate them into the state budget, work with legislative leadership, and keep pushing until good ideas get across the finish line. That is why I am interested not only in what Collins has already helped turn into law, but also in the work he started in the Senate and now has the opportunity to carry much further. And that is what I keep coming back to with Jay Collins for Governor. Of course I dug into Collins before I ever sat down with him, because that is what former targeting officers do, ha ha. My time is limited, and I want to spend it engaging with people who are serious, understand the problems in front of them, and can actually deliver. But I also look for something that is much harder to measure on paper. I want to know that someone is going to do the right thing when things go wrong because I work on issues that make for a very bad day when things go boom. Do they show up? Do they understand the problem before they start talking? Do they look for solutions instead of excuses? And when something needs to get done, are they willing to do it? I have seen enough of Collins both personally and through his record, to know how I answer those questions. I want Florida to be safe and strong. And I want the people who make our communities resilient and worth living in to be able to afford to call them home. That is the Florida I want. And I believe Jay Collins is day one ready to help get us there. I personally voted for Jay Collins last Saturday during early voting. Tomorrow, I’m asking you to vote for him too. It takes all of us!