TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Senate President Ben Albritton was admitted to the hospital on Sunday following chest pain. He is now scheduled for further assessments at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville after doctors identified a “potential abnormality” in his heart, as detailed in a memo released Monday evening from his office.

The 57-year-old was initially treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where emergency physicians detected a small blood clot lodged in his lung.

The memo, however, revealed on Monday night that further tests have “identified a potential abnormality in the upper left portion of the president’s heart,” which necessitates additional examination and evaluation.

“Given the president’s prior history with blood clots, his medical team at Tallahassee Memorial recommended further testing to determine the cause of the new clot and to closely investigate the potential heart abnormality,” the memo explained. “In an abundance of caution, President Albritton will undergo additional testing and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team at Shands Hospital in Gainesville later this evening. The insights from these evaluations will guide his future treatment plan.”

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.” 

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.”