Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature has backed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to redraw congressional districts to add four likely Republican seats.
Activists gather to protest Florida’s redistricting plan
More than 100 activists gathered outside the north portico of the Florida State Capitol on Tuesday, April 28, to protest the proposed redistricting map.
- The Florida Legislature has approved a new congressional redistricting map that could increase the number of seats for Republicans.
- Democrats and some Republican lawmakers argue the plan violates the state’s Fair Districts Amendment, which prohibits partisan gerrymandering.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies argue that the state’s proposed amendment violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
- The new map is expected to face legal challenges from Democrats.
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Legislature has approved a legislative redistricting plan that may violate the state constitution but achieves Gov. Ron DeSantis’ goal of increasing the chances of Republicans winning four new seats.
In the latest battle in the multistate war over redistricting sparked by President Donald Trump, Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate advanced new district lines on April 29 over fierce Democratic opposition.
Moments before the House voted 83-28, Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) strode across the chamber floor and used a pink bullhorn to repeatedly shout that what the ruling Republican Party was doing violated the Constitution’s Fair Districts Amendment, which prohibits partisan gerrymandering.
“It’s out of order,” she cried.
Although Mr. Nixon’s action was an overreach, it continued a theme that Democrats repeatedly raised throughout hours of debate in the House and Senate.
“This is not the way the process should go,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. “The political climate is so polarized that people seem to have to cheat to win.”
Rep. Christine Hanczowski (R-Parkland) said the Republican Party is “prioritizing the power of individuals over the people they serve.”
Some Republicans defect in Florida Senate
The Senate voted 21-17 to pass the map, with four Republicans split in rank and voting “no.”
Republicans have acknowledged that the map relies on partisan data, which would violate state constitutional standards enacted by Florida voters in 2010.
But Mr. DeSantis and the ruling Republican Party are betting that courts will overturn the state’s restrictions because they violate the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The state’s Fair Districts Constitution Amendment prohibits legislators from intentionally drawing districts that help or hurt political parties or incumbents. It also prohibits lawmakers from drawing boundaries that reduce the ability of minority communities to elect representatives of their choice.
But the Florida Supreme Court ruled last year, upholding the current congressional map approved in 2022, that racial protections included in fair districts violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection guarantee.
DeSantis claims voter-approved amendment can be ignored
Mr. DeSantis now claims that the decision invalidates all standards for fair districts, including those against partisan lines. Most Republicans in Congress supported a term-limited governor.
“We believe we are following the law,” said Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miami Lakes. “I think these are legally supported maps.”
Fair district violations are certain to be part of the legal challenges Democrats will bring to anything that comes out of the special session. U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has already told Florida Republicans, “We’ll see you in court.”
The plan would likely elect Republicans to 24 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts, potentially increasing the party’s chances of retaining narrow control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections and halting a possible decline in Trump’s influence during his final two years in the White House.
Most threatened by the DeSantis plan are seats held by Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor of Tampa, Darren Soto of Orlando, and Jared Moskowitz of Parkland, as well as the South Florida seat recently vacated by Sheila Chafferas McCormick, who resigned amid an ethics investigation.
Other Democrats whose reelection would be difficult due to the boundary changes include U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston. But many Republican incumbents worry that redrawing will also weaken their party’s advantage in some districts.
Who will be the first victim of the redraw? republican
U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, a veteran Orlando Republican, announced on April 28 that he will not seek re-election, becoming the 36th Republican member of the House of Representatives who plans to leave his seat at the end of his term.
There are currently 20 Republicans in the Florida Legislature. But the partisan tilt of the DeSantis map could result in Republicans controlling 86% of the state’s House districts.
President Trump sparked a conflict between red and blue states over redistricting last year when he asked Republican-dominated states to redraw their boundaries to help Republicans win seats.
Does gerrymandering risk disenfranchising some voters?
A total of seven states now have new congressional district maps. Will Florida favor Republicans?
Seven states, led by Texas, are redrawing their congressional boundaries in this fight, and Florida is now fighting back by handing Republicans bounty seats that could help the party’s numbers in November.
“This whole thing was done as a service to Donald Trump, not a service to the people of Florida,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Fentris Driskell of Tampa.
Democrats in Congress blasted the new map, which was created by one staffer loyal to DeSantis, Jason Poreda, who authorized the use of partisan data. But Republicans said little in defense of the map.
FOX News was the first to have a red and blue hue map – antagonizing Democrats
Adding to the backlash from Democrats, the map was first published on Fox News, rather than on a Florida news site or the Legislature’s website. The 24 Republican-leaning districts are shaded red, and the four Democratic districts are shaded blue.
No Republicans participated in the map debate in the House or Senate. But supporters of the plan remained steadfast in response to questions from Democrats.
“I believe this map is based on a strong and workable interpretation of both the Florida and United States constitutions, which is why I am introducing this map and supporting it today,” said Rep. Jenna Parsons Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, the redistricting bill’s sponsor.
The Senate took up DeSantis’ map after the House ended its special session three days earlier than its scheduled May 1 date.
“The governor’s legal theory is that fair districts violate the federal constitution,” Sen. Don Gates (R-Niceville) told senators in defending the governor’s map, which he sponsored.
Still, Gaetz acknowledged, “I don’t think this map necessarily helps Republicans.”
The only way to reshuffle Congress to make Democratic-leaning seats more competitive is to weaken the currently strong Republican constituencies. And depending on how voters react, Republicans could lose the seat in a redraw called a “dummy mander”.
SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana brings drama to Florida Capitol
Adding to the drama at the Capitol was the announcement of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would destroy Louisiana’s congressional map, with a conservative majority finding that lawmakers illegally used race to draw new majority-black districts.
Although the majority argued that it upheld the Voting Rights Act, the justices concluded that the bill only prevents lawmakers from drawing maps that intentionally limit the power of minority voters.
The decision derails efforts to attract more black and Hispanic voters to the district to help elect minority candidates. Dissenting Justice Elaine Kagan wrote, “The court’s decision rolls back the fundamental right granted by Congress to racial equality in voting opportunities.”
The ruling is expected to be used by DeSantis to strengthen the state’s case against fair district standards.
The governor quickly posted on X that “the SCOTUS ruling also invalidates the provision of the Florida Constitution that requires the use of race in redistricting.”
But Democrats say Mr. DeSantis and his Republican Party are acting without the largely settled law on their side. Rather, several people say the rush to redistrict is pure power politics.
“This is gerrymandering. It’s illegal map-making designed to favor one political party over the other,” said Sen. Lavon Bracey Davis, D-Orlando. “This map doesn’t just tip the scales, it shatters them.”
John Kennedy is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. Contact him at jkennedy2@gannett.com or @JKennedyReport on X..
