Rising Senate leader Ben Albritton endorses Donald Trump-backed Randy Fine for Senate

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 11/7/23-Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, talks about House Bill 7C, which provides security grants for at-risk schools, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. The bill passed the House and moves to the Senate. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Sen. Ben Albritton, next in line to be Senate President, is backing Rep. Randy Fine’s bid for the Senate District 19 seat.

The endorsement of the Wauchula Republican means Fine, a Brevard County Republican, is likely to have smooth sailing through the GOP Primary — if there is one. Albritton, who will be Senate President after the 2024 elections, is in charge of Senate Republican campaigns this cycle as head of the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“Randy Fine has unapologetically fought for the shared conservative values that continue to preserve freedom and opportunity for all Floridians,” Albritton said in a released statement. “He has stood on the front lines to protect parental rights in education and to keep our families safe in the face of ever-evolving dangers. I’m proud to endorse Randy because he is an important voice at a time when we need it most.”

Fine is running for the SD 19 seat occupied by Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who is term-limited. Mayfield is running for a Brevard House seat. The district covers all of central and south Brevard County.

“President-Designate Albritton has been a mentor and a friend since he took this assertive entrepreneur under his wing eight years ago,” Fine stated in a post on X, the social media site once known as Twitter. “Ben is a man of profound moral character and conviction, and I am deeply humbled by his show of confidence in me.”

Fine, who has also been endorsed by Trump, was first elected to the House in 2016 and is term-limited in that chamber. During his term in office he’s been known for his public battles with political enemies in both parties as much as for his legislative work.

A staunch supporter of Israel and opponent of antisemitism, Fine has backed resolutions backing Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and pushed for funding for security at Jewish schools. He’s also secured funding for Indian River Lagoon cleanup projects.

But Fine has grabbed headlines for threatening to “shut down” the University of Central Florida over its funding of a construction project with the wrong pot of money; threatening to withhold some funding for 12 school districts that imposed mask mandates on students during the COVID-19 pandemic; accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis of not doing enough to combat antisemitism (he also endorsed former President Donald Trump instead of DeSantis in the Presidential Primary this year over the issue); and tangling with local Brevard officials.