Gabrielle Russon
Senate President Ben Albritton defended his spending priorities and argued the state’s plan will help average Floridians as he spoke to reporters ahead of the state budget vote. Meanwhile, he also denied that he sided with Gov. Ron DeSantis over the House in their ongoing feud and vowed the Senate isn’t giving up on hemp and property tax reform.
“It’s easy to look at it and say, OK, we’re at Day 105, and we should have gotten it done on Day 60,” Albritton as Legislative Session is ending late. “I’m just suggesting that there was a lot of measuring that happened a lot. There was a lot of discussion in our committee processes. There was a lot of discussion about all parts of the budget.”
“I would also point out to you, this budget is lower per capita than last year’s budget. So thinking about the Governor and thinking about the House and thinking about the Senate — mission accomplished.”
For about 50 minutes, Albritton spoke to reporters and fielded questions on a variety of budget issues, including debt reduction, employee raises and whether final the tax cut package will do enough to help the average Floridian struggling with high property insurance premiums and rising grocery bills.
The package includes cuts that would benefit NASCAR and full repeals of the aviation fuel tax and commercial rents sales tax. Albritton defended the latter, arguing it will create a trickle down effect.
“I absolutely believe that was a decision that can help businesses, yes, but it will also help Floridians,” he said.
In a statement Mark Wilson, Florida Chamber of Commerce’s CEO and President, celebrated the elimination of the business rent tax Monday.
“This is a major win for Florida’s competitiveness and local businesses, who will reinvest those dollars into their employees, growth, and communities,” Wilson said after the Chamber lobbied to eliminate the tax which he said will save $900 million for “Florida’s job creators.”
Albritton highlighted sales tax holidays on school supplies and hurricane preparedness, saying they will make a difference for consumers.
Asked about Hope Florida, the controversial charity that critics say inappropriately received $10 million from a Medicaid settlement. The charity has been an ongoing fight between the House and the Governor and his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Albritton said he still supports Hope Florida’s mission although he agreed to eliminate the charity’s Hope Line operators from the budget because there’s room for improvement and better reporting in place, he said.
“We want the Legislature to have more information to make decisions,” Albritton said.
Albritton said he was particularly proud of the final budget includes a 2% state employee pay raise, with a $1,000 minimum.
“I believe it will mean a lot for the families that choose public service,” he said. “We hear them, we see them.”
Albritton also highlighted a Home Away From Home tax credit that he began supporting after meeting a family with a child waiting for an organ transplant. The family stayed in a hotel without anywhere else to go because of a long waitlist, the Senate President said.
“It’s incentivizing people to build more of those shelters, more of those places for those parents to stay when something terrible happens to their kids,” he said. “That one is important.”
Albritton foreshadowed the proposal to eliminate property taxes — though it did not pass this Session, he said it is still on the table.
“Let me just say this, it is alive and well. Just because we didn’t find a way to be able to get that put into place this year does not mean that discussion is over,” Albritton said. “I’m excited about the possibility of it.”
As to hemp legislation, Albritton also said he would be “shocked” if Sen. Colleen Burton does not file a bill “to try to bring it in for a landing.”
