House Speaker Daniel Perez in his parting remarks to members Tuesday emphasized the importance of standing firm, while Senate President Ben Albritton emphasized love.
As of now, Tuesday was probably the last meeting of the 2024-2026 Florida Legislature, convened in special session to pass Gov. Ron DeSantis plan to slash property taxes.
The sessions were marked by GOP infighting, on display in delayed budget negotiations and different approaches on immigration, artificial intelligence, and school vouchers. The House did not pass the citrus-farming Albritton’s priority legislation, “Rural Renaissance,” a package that would’ve provided nearly $150 million in infrastructure, education, and health care to rural communities.
“It hasn’t always been easy, but easy was never the point. I hope you know that I’ve tried to ensure that our service together mattered, that we stood up for what was right, even when it wasn’t expedient, that we stood our ground even when it would have been simpler to retreat,” Perez told his members in what could have been his final moment in the rostrum.
In the early days of the two-year leadership terms, the House and Senate proved they could override DeSantis’ veto and bucked his call for a special session on immigration, calling their own instead.
Perez Tuesday referenced “our share of twists and turns and battles that seem to stretch on for weeks and months, victories that have been hard won.”
Particularly during the 2025 session, the governor on social media and in news conferences blasted the House for not fulfilling Republican campaign promises while Perez said his phone calls to DeSantis went unreturned. Perez at one point called DeSantis a “seventh grader.”
“Despite what some have suggested, I never intended for conflict to define my tenure as speaker, but I have always believed that peace without purpose is laziness,” Perez said.
READ MORE: Florida Legislature votes to put property tax changes on November ballot
“The first day that I was in the rostrum, I laid it on your hearts, a [Bible] verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13, ‘And then these three remain, faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love,’” Albritton said to senators. “And what I would say to each of you is to remember that I do love you dearly, I love this body, I have loved this opportunity and through all the ups and downs you have been my rock.”
He didn’t stress the turmoil to the same extent as Perez, just mentioning “ups and downs.” And the Senate lost one of its own in 2025, when Sen. Geraldine Thompson died.
“Also, remember this, the second most powerful force in the world is self interest. The most powerful force in the world is love. Love never fails, and remember this, too: Kindness never comes back empty, never comes back empty,” Albritton said.
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