Overview
- Kevin Guthrie accepted a role as Jay Collins’ running mate and resigned as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, a change that Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday.
- DeSantis named Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, to lead the emergency agency and said the move was meant to ensure the agency’s work continues without interruption.
- Collins announced Guthrie as his running mate hours before the Republican primary, but Collins finished a distant second to U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the vote.
- Coverage diverges on whether Guthrie left voluntarily or was effectively forced out, with DeSantis saying Guthrie offered his resignation and reporting that Guthrie texted co‑workers saying he did not expect to lose his job.
- Guthrie’s departure removes a long-serving emergency manager who oversaw multiple hurricane responses and controversial migration facilities, leaving his near-term career prospects uncertain and raising questions about mixing political campaigns with critical disaster-response leadership.