Senate President Drove Push for Funding in State Budget
by REBEKAH PIERCE
photos provided by Florida Senate President’s Office
Citrus has been embedded in Florida’s history and culture for centuries, with the first trees planted here in the early 16th century. From freezes and hurricanes to diseases, there’s been no shortage of challenges threatening the industry. Yet Florida growers have consistently rallied, time and time again, to make sure citrus remains a Sunshine State mainstay.
While some supporters have found themselves struggling to keep their faith in the industry, one individual stands out from the rest with unwavering dedication and steadfast determination.
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton’s passion has not only ignited renewed hope and secured funding for the industry in the Florida Budget but also earned him the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award by Citrus Industry Magazine. This award is presented to someone who “stands out through leadership, innovation, dedication and active participation on behalf of the citrus industry.”
And stand out he does. Despite recent struggles, Albritton believes Florida citrus is without a doubt an industry worth saving.
“For me, [when asked], the answer has always been not just yes, but absolutely yes,” he says. “I think when you look around the state, it would be pretty common for people to say, ‘I can’t imagine a Florida without citrus.’ ”
During this year’s legislative session, Albritton took the lead in salvaging the Florida citrus industry, striving to not only revive it but to make it stronger than it’s ever been.
He is about as enmeshed in the Florida citrus industry as any person could ever possibly be. A fourth-generation grower, he has experienced firsthand the struggles that growers around the state have been dealing with.
“I bleed orange,” he says. “I love the industry, I love the people, I love the culture, I love the heritage, I love the history.”
Early in his career, Albritton worked for his family’s citrus groves before pursuing leadership roles, serving on the Florida Citrus Commission as Chairman from 2007 until 2010. He also served as a board member and president of the Peace River Citrus Growers Association. In 2010, Albritton resigned from the Florida Citrus Commission to pursue a seat in the Florida House, citing early on the need for a stronger agricultural leadership. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018, at which point he was elected to the Florida Senate.
After Albritton’s fight to get funding through the legislature, a $140 million citrus recovery package was approved in the state budget.
“We called it ‘Make Citrus Great Again,’ ” he says.
“I fully believe in five years from now, this industry will be thriving again. Will be growing again. And at that point, the industry can really start thinking about the future in terms differently than, ‘How do we just survive?’”
The package includes several notable investments, including significant funding toward state research efforts and expedited tree propagation.
“The number one goal is to get trees in the ground,” Albritton says. “Because functionally, if you’re not getting trees in the ground, what are you really doing?”
To that end, the budget dedicates several million dollars to the development of new citrus varieties and to the expanded propagation of citrus greening tolerant or resistant budwood trees and seedlings.
It also includes $104.5 million for the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation to lead large-scale field trials researching treatments, therapies, disease-resistant varieties, grove management and design, pest and disease control, and more.
There is also a component in the budget that deals with packinghouses, namely a cost-sharing program to the tune of $10 million meant to provide additional support to this ailing side of the industry.
The hope is that the funding can turn the industry around fast enough to prevent further losses.
“If I’ve learned one thing in being involved in agriculture, whether it’s a hurricane or a freeze, there’s always going to be some trouble around the corner. Let me say this: When you are lying on the ground, flat on your back, all you can see is up.”
The key, according to Albritton, is to not give up hope.
“We need to have faith,” he says. “Faith in ourselves and in each other.”
Albritton has made it clear that his love for the industry is sincere, and it’s echoed in the work he’s done advocating for citrus personally, professionally, and legislatively.
At the end of the day, he says, “Our love for this industry is what will cause it to be successful again. I will continue to run to this fight as long as God gives me life and breath to do it.”