COMING NEXT WEEK — State Senate President BEN ALBRITTON intends to keep his “Republican family” tight-knit during the upcoming regular session — including collaboration with Gov. RON DESANTIS. Albritton spoke with POLITICO’s Tallahassee bureau at the Florida Capitol on Tuesday about his priorities and which issues he foresees will be hot topics when things kick off next week. Last month, tension broiled between the Florida Legislature and DeSantis over illegal immigration legislation before both sides came together on a compromise. But Albritton insists he’s optimistic for the session, given the “healthy” discussions he had with the governor and Florida House Speaker DANNY PEREZ. Albritton told POLITICO that “the House, the Senate and the governor were all the better for the time that we spent going through that.” “We all learned a lot about each other,” Albritton said. He complimented the governor as “very bright,” “well-read” and someone who possesses a “command of detail and numbers.” Albritton also praised DeSantis for his tenacity to fight “for things that he believes” without taking disagreement “personally.” Here are more takeaways from the interview: ON PROPERTY TAXES — DeSantis wants to eliminate property taxes, saying they’ve climbed too high with growing property values and made life unaffordable for Floridians. The governor hasn’t said what might replace the tax, which helps pay for public schools and local services such as fire departments, road fixes and public hospitals. Albritton said he was open to learning more about what revoking the tax would look like, pointing out that figuring out what could replace those taxes is “not simple math, it is bona fide calculus, if not trigonometry.” “When you’re making those types of dramatic changes, the ability to get something like that up and out in 60 days — gosh, I don’t know. That’s asking a lot,” he said. “But will I dig in on it and want to understand it? Yes.” ON MARIJUANA — Albritton said he remains opposed to recreational marijuana in Florida, as a bill to permit it for adults 21 and older has been filed by the state House Health Care Budget Subcommittee chair. “I don’t see why there is a need for recreational marijuana in Florida with a very robust program here,” Albritton said in response to a question from POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. He was referring to the more than 700 medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. “If somebody needs cannabis,” he added, “whether it’s THC or CBD or whatever is derived from cannabis plants, then they have access to it.” ON BALLOT INITIATIVES — Another item on DeSantis’ agenda after defeating amendments on pot and abortion last November has been tightening ballot initiatives. When asked by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout whether he was on board with the governor’s initiative plans, Albritton said he and DeSantis were “aligned” on generating “more accountability” and “transparency” in the voting and petition drive process. “Both the elections process, registering to vote, the petition process, all of those things — those are the core principles … in our democracy,” he said. “So, if we can do better, let’s do it.” WRITTEN IN THE STARS — Albritton also said he’d support moving NASA’s headquarters to the Space Coast, depending on what the agency would want from Florida. On Monday, Sen. ASHLEY MOODY became the latest Florida Republican to push for the relocation. “The move would save taxpayers money, encourage collaboration with private space companies, and tap into Florida’s talented workforce in the aerospace industry to spur further innovation,” she wrote on X. — Isa Domínguez Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
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