Editor’s note: This is the third installment of four articles honoring the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award Winner Ben Albritton.
Senate President Ben Albritton is preparing for the 2026 legislative session with committee meetings in full swing. The session is slated to start on Jan. 13 and run 60 calendar days.
During the past session, Albritton successfully led the effort to fund several important initiatives aimed at helping the state’s citrus industry. Key among those efforts was securing more than $100 million for Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation programs.
The latest CRAFT application cycle deadline was Oct. 3, and applications received were well above the allocated funds. According to Albritton, this illustrates that the citrus industry is committed to the fight against HLB.
“My perspective is really pretty simple,” Albritton said. “One of the things that I’ve learned is that the Florida Legislature is pretty darn good at being efficient. We are a low-tax state. We are fiscal hawks. And if somebody creates a program or expands a program because they have a vision, it must show interest among the people it aims to help.”
The vision during the last legislative session was partnering with Florida citrus growers through the CRAFT program to give the industry a “hand up, not a hand out.” For his efforts in this endeavor, Albritton was honored with the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award.
“If you put money in a budget for an item like CRAFT, and you cast the vision of where you want to take Florida citrus, you need to fully utilize that money,” he said.
As preparations are underway for next year’s session, full allocation of CRAFT funds will help Albritton and fellow lawmakers make the argument for continued support to move the state’s citrus sector in the right direction.
See a video of Albritton discussing these topics and more.
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