Senator Jay Collins’ own background gives him a great understanding of the group “Hope Florida,” he said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
The legislative session ended on May 2; however, it will extend to June 6, with big issues regarding the budget and property tax to still be decided.
Collins told the Jenna Ellis in the Morning program that the session has been “unique.”
Part of the uniqueness comes from tension within DeSantis’ own party, the Republicans, who have yet to announce their candidate for his replacement.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Byron Donalds, a U.S. House member from the state, but many inside the Florida Republican Party want something different.
For many, it seems the Hope Florida conversation is taking focus away from choosing a candidate.
The controversy comes from the accusations that $10 million was diverted from Medicaid to Hope Florida, something Ellis has previously refuted on AFN. Hope Florida was founded by Casey DeSantis, Ron DeSantis’ wife. The group continues to operate within the executive umbrella of the governor’s office.
Casey DeSantis, shown with her husband at right, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed her husband as Florida governor.
Collins sets forth the facts about the controversy.
“Going back to September 24, Centene (a Florida Medicaid contractor) got into what was called a civil settlement agreement. And from that, there were two specific deposits, one of $57.25 million, which went to the state, and one that was $10 million, which was a donation to Hope Florida,” he told Ellis.
Ellis writes about the Hope Florida situation in an AFN op-ed this week.
Coming from an economically challenged family gives Collins a great understanding of the importance of Hope Florida’s work, he said.
“I’m so proud to see what Casey DeSantis Hope Florida does,” he said, describing the program as bold conservative leadership.
Hope Florida has helped around 30,000 people to reduce or eliminate their reliance on government assistance, which is set to save taxpayers more than $1 billion over the next decade.
“Nothing about Hope Florida is about politics. It’s about people. It’s taking care of our people, Floridians, moms, dads, people who need a hand-up, not a welfare handout for eternity,” Collins said.
Attacks against the DeSantis brand
He sees the investigation into Hope Florida as a smear campaign against DeSantis’ time as governor.
“Well, it’s all about 2026, right? It’s all about the future of the state and where this thing goes. It’s discrediting Hope Florida and the DeSantis brand.”
Whoever the candidate, DeSantis (shown above) will be a tough act to follow, Collins says.
“You've got to walk in the shoes of the greatest of all time, a governor who led through COVID, a governor who has shifted the future of this state just by sheer willpower, grit, determination, his courage, tender commitment. That's a big thing to overcome,” he said.
The next governor will have to follow Trump’s trajectory too.
“Many of the things that he (Trump) has in his agenda, we proved right here in Florida. I often look to Florida as the conservative proving grounds of America. We did it first. And now we need to expand that out across the nation because when Florida leads, America wins,” Collins said.
What Florida needs moving ahead
With that history, Florida needs a certain kind of leader.
“The people of Florida want someone who is going to step up and lead, who is going to focus on real issues, who’s not going to back down and just tow the party line,” he said.
Continuing DeSantis’ work is what’s best for the state, he said.
“We have to remember who we are, where we came from, because the future that Ron DeSantis has painted for us is incredible. You’ve just got to have someone who steps up to the plate.”
Collins downplayed talked that he might run to replace DeSantis.
“It's amazing to hear people throw my name out there, but in the end, it doesn't matter who it is. It's got to be someone that the governor gets behind, that our people get behind, living up to the expectations of Florida,” he said. “This isn’t about Team DeSantis or Team Trump. This is about Team America and Team Florida.”
