TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Senate President Ben Albritton was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after experiencing chest discomfort. Following his admission, a memo released Monday night from his office indicated that further testing at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville was necessary due to a “potential abnormality” in his heart.

The 57-year-old Albritton initially received care at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where emergency doctors uncovered a small blood clot in his lung.

The Monday night memo highlighted that additional examinations revealed a “potential abnormality” in the upper left section of Albritton’s heart, warranting further investigation.

“Given the president’s history of blood clots, his medical team at Tallahassee Memorial recommended additional testing to identify the cause of the new clot and to closely examine the potential heart abnormality,” the memo stated. “As a precaution, President Albritton will undergo further tests and observation by a multidisciplinary team at Shands Hospital in Gainesville this evening. These insights will assist in forming a treatment strategy going forward.”

The Senate is set to convene for a floor session on Thursday. Should Albritton be unable to attend, the memo noted that Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican from Sanford and the president pro tempore, will take over the proceedings.

“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.” 

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.”