Green Beret Jay Collins led Americans into battle on some of the most demanding missions in the War on Terror. He faced our toughest enemies in combat, and he won’t back down from a fight against the far-left agenda in Washington.

Jarrid “Jay” Collins is a highly-decorated Army Special Forces combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient with over two decades of service. He has answered our nation’s call time and again, even serving five years as an active duty Green Beret following the amputation of his leg. Collins committed his life to serving our country, and he’s ready to bring his real leadership experience from the battlefield and the non-profit sector to Congress.

Adopted and raised by his grandparents, Collins spent his early years on his family’s farm. Growing up in small-town America, he benefitted from the tight-knit community that helped him learn how to overcome adversity at an early age. Collins would start college before enlisting in the Army, following in the footsteps of his WWII veteran father.

While attending Airborne School, our nation was attacked on 9/11. This harsh reality, coupled with hearing stories about Special Forces soldiers who were on the forward edge of the War on Terror, inspired Collins to attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS).

He was selected to become a Special Force Medic, rescuing a hypothermic classmate in the middle of an ice storm, and earned the leadership award at his Special Forces Graduation. His first assignment with 7th Special Forces Group was on a burial detail for a close friend from Special Forces training. This experience drove home the risks of military service and forever changed the veracity with which Collins approached his job.

As a Green Beret, Collins deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and twice to South America. In his 2007 Afghanistan deployment, Collins was hit in the arm, continued fighting, and later helped perform surgery on himself in the field of battle. Staying in country, he returned to full combat operations after just 30 days of recovery. A few months later, he sustained injuries that would eventually lead to the amputation of his leg years later. Collins would overcome his chronic injuries to be selected for US Army Special Operations Command, but ultimately had to have his leg amputated due to the severity of his condition. Following his amputation, Collins requalified as a fully deployable Green Beret and served over five more years on active duty.

Having survived and thrived in the extremes of combat, Collins is ready to stand up for Florida families and fight to cut taxes, rein in out-of-control spending, protect our border, and address threats to national security.

Following 23 years of service, Collins took a position with a nonprofit, overseeing the distribution of millions of meals to veterans, first responders, and those in need. Through his non-profit work across the country, it became clear to Collins that most Americans share the same concerns: they want their families to succeed, their children to have better lives than them, and to improve their communities.

As a husband, father, Green Beret, and non-profit leader with over 20 years of dedicated service, Collins has seen firsthand that “leadership comes at a cost, and that cost is self-interest.” He knows that while career politicians are focused on pursuing their own ambitions, real leaders put their personal concerns last, finding real solutions to the problems facing the American people.

Collins has fought to protect and provide for American families for over two decades. He’s ready to continue that fight in Congress and put a stop to the liberal agenda that hikes taxes, blows out government spending, threatens national security, and fails to put the American people first.

A committed family man, Collins is married to his wife of 21 years Layla, a retired veteran with 20 years of service herself, and a father to two young sons, Gabe and Colt. Having chosen Tampa as the place they would raise their family, proud Floridians Jay and Layla are dedicated to serving their community.