Ben Albritton trusts Donald Trump on tariffs, is cautious on state spending amid DOGE cuts

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/4/25-Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, speaks during the opening day of the 2025 Legislative Session, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Senate President Ben Albritton believes America’s international trade battles could be a boon to certain parts of Florida’s economy, but he’s less optimistic about how ongoing federal budget cuts will impact the state.

Albritton called President Donald Trump “a very smart man” and “good businessman” who “understands the principles and practices” of commerce. And while Trump’s tariffs will cause some goods and services to cost more, Albritton said wholly domestic products like Florida’s many farm-derived foods may soon gain more shelf space at the supermarket.

A citrus grower, Albritton used his trade as an example. Today, he said, single-strength orange juice from Mexico or Brazil is cheaper to import and buy in the Sunshine State than its homegrown counterpart.

“That’s a fact,” he said. “So, when I look at tariffs, I think, OK, there are certain commodities that will be USA commodities that are going to (benefit from) those tariffs because we’re at a competitive disadvantage.”

He added that Trump’s chaotic approach to tariffs in which U.S. trade deficits with other nations have determined the level of tariffs imposed on them hasn’t shaken his faith in the President’s economic motivations.

“I do not think for a second the President has any intentions in hurting this country,” he said. “I think they’re going to take a measured approach, and it will work out OK.”

Albritton’s comments came during an interview Sunday with CBS Miami’s Jim DeFede that also included discussions of possible state spending cuts, property tax rebates and the future of Hope Florida, First Lady Casey DeSantis’ charity, amid reports that the charity steered millions to other organizations to defeat last year’s marijuana ballot initiative.

The Wauchula Republican said that as state lawmakers refine Florida’s budget for next year, they need to be wary of cuts happening under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and avoid overcommitting federally derived dollars that may not be there to programs otherwise dependent on them.

Roughly a third of the state’s $115 billion budget — $38 billion — are federal passthrough dollars for myriad programs like Medicaid and medical research grants for universities.

He said Florida should be circumspect in counting on those funds.

“There’s every possibility we’re going to likely see cuts for federal funding that supports Florida programs and the programs we implement that we would cost share, essentially, with the federal government,” he said.

“It’s everywhere, (and it’s) the reason that I’m thinking about it in a cautious way, because we don’t know for sure (what will happen). We’re likely going to see a throttle back of federal spending.”