TAMPA, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed State Sen. Jay Collins as the state’s lieutenant governor. The governor's announcement and Collins' swearing-in ceremony took place at a news conference in Tampa on Tuesday morning.

DeSantis on Tuesday appointed Collins as his lieutenant governor, a largely ceremonial position that has been vacant since February, when former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez left the post to become president of Florida International University.

The state Republican Party disclosed the appointment of the Florida senator early Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis made it official later in the day.