Florida Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial candidate Jay Collins stepped to the microphone today at Lake County’s historic Florida Citrus Tower, rolling out a pair of major policy initiatives targeting the state’s agricultural industry and youth security.
Speaking from a landmark that symbolizes the state’s farming heritage, Collins introduced his “Farming. Florida’s Future” initiative. The agricultural plan focuses heavily on land preservation and industry resilience, structured around four primary pillars: controlling development on protected agricultural land, hardening farm infrastructure against natural disasters, linking the economy with education, and fostering the next generation of farmers.
“Food security is national security, and in Florida, we must grow, protect, and secure our own future,” Collins said during the press conference. “Today, I had the privilege to speak directly to voters at the Florida Citrus Tower. The tower should not just be a monument to what Florida agriculture used to be. It should be a rallying point for what Florida citrus can become once again.”
READ: Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins Not Folding: Doubles Down With Ad Blitz And Byron Donalds Attack
The former Green Beret then shifted his focus to national and state security, unveiling a separate five-pillar strategy aimed at countering what he described as a rising tide of youth extremism.
The security proposal outlines specific measures to identify foreign-backed threats on social media and college campuses, refuse access of foreign and domestic violent extremist groups to state schools, and designate threatening foreign-backed entities as terrorist organizations. It also calls for enhancing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) capability to combat threats targeting children.
Collins tied the security initiative directly to the state’s current academic standing and recent legislative focus.
“Florida has led the nation on education, and we’re proud to be ranked #1 in higher education,” Collins stated. “We have codified parental rights and fought to make our schools safe. We cannot afford to lose that momentum. As governor, I will prioritize cracking down on threats to our state’s security and threats to our children. Foreign-backed extremist groups have no place in our schools or near our children.”
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