‘We owe it to taxpayers to get this right’: Ben Albritton says Senate to consider dueling GOP tax plans
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/4/25-Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, talks with the media after the opening day of the 2025 Legislative Session, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

FLAPOL030425CH085
The Senate President issued a memo Monday as Republicans are at odds with each other over how to cut taxes.

Senate President Ben Albritton says he is open to considering dueling approaches regarding cutting taxes for Floridians proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez.

But in a newly issued memo, Albritton says he is hesitant to push through a permanent tax cut right now, instead warning lawmakers to act cautiously and avoid a budget shortfall.

“We owe it to taxpayers to get this right,” Albritton said.

“At this point, I believe it is prudent that a final tax cut package of this size be predominantly nonrecurring, while permanent tax cuts are explored during the interim.”

Albritton issued the memo as Republican leaders are at odds over taxes at the halfway point of the Session.

DeSantis advocates abolishing property taxes, while Perez is calling to cut the state sales tax from the current 6% to 5.25%.

“For our part, the Senate has a lot to consider. In my view, we should be open-minded to an ‘all of the above’ approach,” Albritton said in the memo.

“Cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised two years from now to address budget shortfalls. No one wants a repeat of the Great Recession, and we’ve done our best to avoid that by reigning in spending, paying down debt, and setting aside significant reserves. There are cumulative impacts to every tax cut. We need to do our due diligence and understand those impacts, combined with the projected budget shortfalls already on the horizon.”

Albritton nevertheless took an even-handed approach in the memo. And in a statement to social media, Albritton expanded on his desire to work with the House and the Governor on a compromise.

“On tax relief, I like immediate relief for property owners in advance of an amendment for voters to consider. I also like immediate relief for Floridians who rent, as well as those who own property, via the sales tax. Both are big ideas, worthy of our consideration,” Albritton said.

But in his memo, he spotlighted programs that could be affected if the state slashes revenue sources too aggressively.

“Cutting waste and inefficiency plays an important role in responsible spending; however, there is a cost associated with maintaining our transportation, clean water, and health care infrastructure, ensuring universal school choice for every family, hurricane response and recovery, and of course public safety,” Albritton said.

Gabrielle Russon

Gabrielle Russon is an award-winning journalist based in Orlando. She covered the business of theme parks for the Orlando Sentinel. Her previous newspaper stops include the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Toledo Blade, Kalamazoo Gazette and Elkhart Truth as well as an internship covering the nation’s capital for the Chicago Tribune. For fun, she runs marathons. She gets her training from chasing a toddler around. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @GabrielleRusson .


3 comments

  • EARL PITTS AMERICAN

    March 31, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    “We owe it to taxpayers to get this right of constitutional Open Carry enshrined in our Florida Statutes for Time In Memorial ’:
    Ben Albritton says “Senate to consider dueling GOP Second Admendment plans between Florida’s Sage Patriot elected officials and the disgusting Dook 4 Brains Leftist Dook-A-Crats”.
    I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, would like to thank Senate President, Ben Albritton, for at long last regaining self control of his “Dook Addled Brain” and doing right by Florida in passing “Constitutional Open Carry” as the “Law of The Land” right here in “The Free State of Florida”, said Earl.
    Thanks again, Ben,
    EARL PITTS AMERICAN

    Reply

  • Geo S0r0s

    March 31, 2025 at 8:48 pm

    Ben we had a deal on killing open carry in Florida, my Son and I are very disapointed.
    Please call your offshore bank tomorrow and have my most recent deposit returned. Mention code 666 and they will get my money back to me. Let us nevèr speak of this again. Ben this text group is secure Right?
    Sorry it did not work out, Ben,
    Geo

    Reply

  • Rich7553

    April 1, 2025 at 4:43 pm

    Who did you owe when you refused to assign open carry to committee? It certainly wasn’t the people.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, Liam Fineout, A.G. Gancarski, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Andrew Powell, Jesse Scheckner, Janelle Taylor, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704