PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Gubernatorial candidate and current Lieutenant Governor, Jay Collins, today named Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, as his running mate and choice for his Lieutenant Governor, selecting a veteran law enforcement officer and proven crisis leader who has helped guide Florida through some of its most difficult moments.
“I had four questions,” Collins said. “What is their moral compass? Have they succeeded at something hard? What happens when disaster hits? And where do they go when it does? Some people go to the cameras. Some go home. Kevin Guthrie goes toward people when they need it the most.”
For Collins, the choice is rooted in more than Guthrie’s résumé. The two have already served together when American lives were on the line. In June 2025, with missiles falling on Israel and Ben Gurion Airport closed, Florida evacuated more than 1,500 Americans by air and sea. Guthrie ran the logistics. Collins was on the ground.
“I’ve seen Kevin operate when the stakes are real, and I know exactly who I want beside me when Florida faces its next challenge.”
Guthrie spent the first 23 years of his career in law enforcement as a police officer and emergency preparedness coordinator with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He later led public safety and emergency management in Flagler County and oversaw emergency services in Pasco County. Governor Rick Scott awarded him the Chad Reed First Responder Award.
Since becoming Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management in 2021, Guthrie has led Florida’s response through six major hurricanes as well as the tragic Surfside building collapse. Under his leadership, the Division has distributed roughly $11.5 billion in disaster funding, the most under any emergency management director in state history.
His leadership has earned recognition at both the state and national level. When Guthrie was under consideration to lead FEMA last year, Governor Ron DeSantis said, “If you’re talking about emergency response, where would you go? You would come here to Kevin, because he’s done it better than anyone.” President Donald Trump appointed Guthrie to the FEMA Review Council in April 2025.
Collins said Guthrie would enter the administration with a clear mission focused on safety, security, readiness and response, making the office of Lieutenant Governor an operational role.
“When I say this ticket backs law enforcement, one of us carried a badge in Jacksonville for 23 years,” Collins said. “When we talk about protecting Florida, we mean protecting our communities, our infrastructure and our people. Kevin has spent his career doing exactly that.”
“I’m an operator at the end of the day,” Guthrie said. “I’ve spent my career solving problems, responding when people need help and getting the job done. I’m honored to join Jay in this mission and ready to serve the people of Florida.”
Florida’s Republican primary is Tuesday, August 18.
Media Release, Image: Jay Collins, Republican for Governor
