Senate President Ben Albritton, who was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing chest pain, was slated to undergo testing at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville after a "potential abnormality" was found in his heart, according to a memo Monday night from the president's office.
Albritton, 57, was hospitalized Sunday at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital after experiencing the chest pain. Emergency physicians initially discovered a small blood clot in his lung.
But the memo Monday night said additional testing "identified a potential abnormality in the upper left portion of the president's heart that requires additional testing and review."
"Because of the president's previous history of blood clots, his medical team at Tallahassee Memorial advised more testing to both determine the cause of the new blood clot and to get a better view of the potential abnormality in his heart," the memo said. "Out of an abundance of caution, the president will begin additional testing and observation from a multidisciplinary team at Shands Hospital in Gainesville later this evening. This information will help him determine a treatment plan moving forward."
The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor session Thursday, and the memo said Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Sanford Republican who is president pro tempore, will preside if Albritton is unable to be there.
"All business before the Senate will move forward as planned and the president remains fully engaged and in constant communication with staff," the memo said.
It added, "The president and Mrs. (Missy) Albritton are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support from hundreds of people across the state from both inside and outside of the political process. In addition, they are extremely grateful for the professionalism, care and support they received from the medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial."
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Albritton, R-Wauchula, is in his second year as Senate president, one of the most-powerful positions in the state. He was first elected to the Florida House in 2010, before getting elected to the Senate in 2018. He began serving as Senate president after the 2024 elections and will leave the post after this year's elections.
The 2026 regular legislative session started Jan.13 and is scheduled to end March 13. Gov. Ron DeSantis also has scheduled a special legislative session during the week of April 20 to redraw congressional districts.
Albritton has made a priority this year of passing what has been dubbed the "rural renaissance" plan, which is aimed at boosting such things as health care, education, transportation and economic development in rural areas.
The Senate unanimously approved the plan (SB 250) on the second day of the legislative session, an indication of its importance to Albritton. But a similar package got broken up in the House last year and did not pass. It remains unclear how the House will handle this year's version.
Albritton, a cautious leader who speaks often about his Christian faith, had well-publicized disagreements last year with House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, about issues such as the state budget and taxes.
In a recent interview for The News Service of Florida's "5 Questions" feature, Albritton acknowledged the disagreements but called Perez a friend.
"We're going to work through whatever it is that pops up," Albritton said in the interview. "I'm committed, and I believe that he is as well, because he's a good leader. Good leaders look at these things, and we may have frustrations, or we may have challenges, but again, it goes back to staying on task and making sure that we're using our principles and getting to a place to where we're doing good for Floridians. I will say and reiterate with you again that I have zero hard feelings with the speaker, and look forward to working with him."
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