‘I think we ought to be embarrassed’

Sen. Don Gaetz never shies away from interviews or sharing his opinion.

Tuesday afternoon was no different, when the former Senate President shared his insights with reporters on the 2026 Session to date.

Gaetz, known for his quick tongue, didn’t mince words.

“I think we ought to be embarrassed. I think it’s a shame. And as Republicans — we have Republican Governor, Republican House, and a Republican Senate — we don’t have any Democrats to argue with anymore,” Gaetz said.

“(Democrats are) in a decided minority, so we decided to argue with each other. That’s inexcusable as Republicans. I think that it’s bad stewardship as conservatives, and I certainly hope that we improve and improve very quickly,” he added.

Gaetz’s opinion comes from lengthy service in the Legislature. He initially served in the Senate between 2006 and 2016 and as the chamber’s President between 2012 and 2014, then returned to the Senate in 2024.

His commentary followed two turbulent years of a rocky relationship between Miami Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican.

There’s also been feuding between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the House. Conversely, DeSantis has consistently praised the Senate, adding to the chilly relationships.

With more than a decade of experience to fall back on, Gaetz said the 2026 Session, slated to come to an end Friday, has been one of the worst he’s witnessed.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Legislature had passed 86 of the 1,895 bills filed for consideration during the Session.

The one bill the Legislature is required to pass during the 60-day Session — the budget — has stalled, with Perez and Albritton unable to agree on how much the state should spend during Fiscal Year 2026-27.

They also cannot agree on how large of a tax break to pass.

The House last month passed a $113.6 billion budget to guide state spending from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The Senate’s proposed budget is $115 billion.

While the budgets are only about $1.4 billion apart, the differences have kept the chambers from reaching an agreement on overall spending.

Once the top spending number is agreed to, the chambers have follow-up conversations about how much money should be allocated in various spending areas: education, health care, transportation, running government, providing state employees with health insurance and more.

The budget impasse has led to a communication breakdown that is keeping the chambers from agreeing on substantive policy issues.

“By the end of this week, it might be the worst,” Gaetz offered Tuesday. “I think the last two Sessions will be the least productive Sessions I’ve ever been in.”

Gaetz said it’s not policy differences that are preventing legislators from passing bills.

It’s “because of what I would consider to be an inexcusable amount of animosity … among leaders in this Capitol building. I think it’s inexcusable. We all ought to be embarrassed by it.”

Gaetz said the public should be disappointed with the Legislature.

And as a senior Senator and former Senate President, Gaetz acknowledged that he was disappointed in himself.

“I should have been able to do better. I think I’m sorry that we weren’t able to get the job done that, constitutionally, we’re required to do, and that’s pass a budget,” he said. “But more than that, there are many good policy bills that can affect the people’s lives, affect communities’ lives, affect our prosperity and our safety, that are not going to be passed.”

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Reporting by Christine Sexton. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected].