Senate President Ben Albritton says he’s not alarmed that lawmakers are leaving on Sine Die with no finances as each Democrats and Republicans have criticized the Legislature’s paralysis and priorities.
The 60-day Common Session is over and lawmakers are anticipated to return in April to proceed finances talks.
“That’s not the tip of the world,” Albritton informed reporters Friday afternoon. “There’s nonetheless loads of time to have the ability to get the finances achieved, to guarantee that it’s honest, equitable, all of the issues that you really want a state finances to have earlier than July 1.”
July 1 is the beginning of the brand new fiscal yr, and state priorities stay funded by means of June 30.
Albritton stated he was “inspired” by the Senate’s talks with the Home concerning the brand new spending plan.
“We’re two separate chambers, however I nonetheless imagine that we’re going to get the aircraft landed,” Albritton stated.
Each side of the aisle have complained concerning the 2026 Legislative Session.
“This session has been a failure,” Home Democratic Caucus Chief Fentrice Driskell stated in a press release. “The GOP controls the Home, Senate, and Governor’s Workplace, and but they might not cease preventing lengthy sufficient to do something critical to assist Florida’s working households and seniors struggling to afford to make ends meet. Merely put, Florida is turning into too costly for too many Floridians.
Sen. Don Gaetz, who served as Senate President from 2012-14, informed reporters earlier, “I believe we should be embarrassed. I believe it’s a disgrace. And as Republicans — we have now Republican Governor, Republican Home, and a Republican Senate — we don’t have any Democrats to argue with anymore.”
Gaetz additionally wrote in his e-newsletter Friday that “the 2026 session of the Florida Legislature ended with a whimper.”
When requested about these feedback, Albritton known as Gaetz a “good man” and a confidant, then insisted “there’s nonetheless loads of time to get this factor proper.”
The Senate handed one in all Gaetz’s payments to reform the taxpayer-funded personal college voucher program following a important state audit. On the Senate flooring, Gaetz warned each week that the Florida Division of Schooling can’t account for 30,000 college students for whom taxpayers are paying.
Gaetz’s invoice (SB 318) died within the Home after the Senate unanimously handed it in January.
“I wouldn’t characterize that as mismanagement,” Albritton stated when requested concerning the failed invoice Friday. “The best way I characterize that’s we made an enormous leap into empowering households within the state of Florida with the cash following the kid. The system shouldn’t be arrange completely for that course of to work. I wouldn’t name it mismanagement. I’d name it, the system wants tweaking.”
Gaetz was extra direct.
“The massive gap in legislative efficiency is the failure to assault critical coverage points and enact options taxpayers, faculties and communities want,” he wrote in his e-newsletter Friday.
For Albritton, one in all his private priorities additionally fell brief — a complete Rural Renaissance invoice to deal with all the pieces from schooling, well being care, roads, financial improvement and extra for rural areas. Once more, the Senate handed it in January however the Home refused to maneuver it.
“I want that it had made it,” stated Albritton, a fourth-generation farmer, when requested about his emotions about his agenda merchandise.
He acknowledged {that a} large piece of laws typically “simply takes time.”
“However I’ll let you know that a minimum of within the Florida Senate, and I imagine actually throughout Florida, the dialog about rural Florida is simply starting,” Albritton stated. “I’m glad that God gave me this platform to have the ability to do such a factor. And I’m very looking forward to the long run for rural Florida.”
