Jay Collins, the DeSantis-appointed Lieutenant Governor who now wants to be elected to the top job, is walking back his criticisms of a $10 million donation to the campaign of Byron Donalds from Citadel’s Ken Griffin, a consistent backer of Gov. Ron DeSantis over the years.
Spokesperson Jennifer Vickery said the campaign is disavowing a Collins tweet that was sharply critical of Griffin.
She described it as the product of a “subcontractor who is trying to help,” but did so without “knowledge or approval” from the campaign.
Senior advisor John Cardillo said Collins “did not review and post himself. The contractor posted on his behalf without approval from Jay or the campaign team.”
“The situation has been rectified,” he added/
Though the narrative of how the tweet came to be was at least initially a bit muddled, the original post, deleted after this story was published, was very clear in its denunciation of one of the Governor’s major supporters.
“Do you want Florida in the hands of families working hard and doing the right things and having a seat at the table? Or billionaires feeding their bank accounts even further by hyperscale data centers in your backyard or buying up even more land to develop? Byron Donalds is backed by one of the largest billionaire donations of the race. Follow the money. Figure out why,” Collins urged in a Tuesday social media post that included three headlines.
Two of those headlines spotlighted real estate buys in Miami.
A third featured Griffin criticizing the artificial intelligence stances of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, in which the financier said people misunderstood the so-called AI revolution and urged the leftist luddites to “read a book for once.” In featuring that clip, he platformed socialists from out of state over one of Florida’s most prominent businessmen.
The screenshot of the post, which shocked people close to DeSantis, is below. While it’s gone from the news feed, it won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Griffin has shown his commitment to Florida not only through political contributions on both sides of the aisle, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2004, but also with at least a billion dollars in real estate buys over the years. Rarely is he attacked by a Republican candidate for office though.
Citadel and Griffin are known for investments in the tech sector, including AI stocks. Though once a tech skeptic, Griffin has come around to understanding the technology as part of a “golden age of entrepreneurial activity.“
Interestingly, Collins also amended his own AI position concurrent with a $5 million donation from Propel Florida LLC, a company connected to rogue Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Francelli that is historically best known for its opposition to Big Tech.
In recent months, Collins has stepped up his messaging about the potential perils of AI and data centers, leading some to draw connections between the contribution and his policy focus as he’s moved from policy advocacy to political skepticism.
Some may be inclined to follow the money in Collins’ own evolution.
Donalds’ Communications Director takes the long view, meanwhile.
“We are grateful to have the support of Ken Griffin as well as tens of thousands of unique donors. Nothing will distract us from beating Democrat David Jolly and ensuring that Florida remains the best state in America to start a business and raise a family,” Gates McGavick said.
Indeed, Donalds has pleaded for party unity given the challenge Jolly will present this Fall, which makes Collins’ attack on a major Republican donor an even more dubious tactic.
Members of the Executive Office of the Governor and DeSantis’ inner circle have previously described the LG as difficult to work with, combative and even threatening at times, with Collins’ displeasure with Taryn Fenske, a political staffer who previously worked on the policy side, being a matter of much discussion.
Collins has downplayed the accusations, but his alleged unhappiness came down to Fenske not converting DeSantis donors to his cause, even before he officially launched a campaign for Governor.
The story from the anti-Collins brigade in DeSantis’ inner circle is that he wanted the endorsement very soon after being picked as LG last year. DeSantis told him he needed to show he could do the job.
After months of active campaigning on the taxpayers’ dime and an ignominious defeat in a lawsuit against James Fishback that led the prevailing party to demand the LG leave office, it seems very little time passes between one Collins crashout and another.
Collins urged voters to “follow the money.”
But not for the first time, his associates are trying to “figure out why.”
As a senior adviser to the Governor’s Office put it: “Ken Griffin is a friend. He has helped countless Floridians by donating huge sums toward philanthropic efforts across the state. Attacking him is certainly a choice.”
DeSantis reportedly tried to get Griffin to back Collins at one point as a counter to Donalds, which ultimately did not happen. Now it seems the LG has decided to bite the hand that feeds as Griffin has made his preference clear.
