TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature took its first official step Thursday toward potentially redrawing the state’s congressional districts as lawmakers convened a new House committee tasked with exploring possible changes.
What You Need To Know
The Florida House’s Select Committee on Redistricting on Thursday held its first public meeting in Tallahassee
The group is tasked with exploring the oppuurunity to draw new congressional maps in Florida
Critics from across the state travelled to attend the hearing, and held an outside demonstration
The Florida House’s Select Committee on Redistricting met Thursday for the first time in Tallahassee, kicking off a process that could reshape the state’s congressional map. The meeting Thursday provided lawmakers with an overview of Florida’s redistricting process and its legal limits.
“Let me be very clear,” Redondo said, before garnering a notable laugh from critics in attendance. “Our work as a committee and as a legislative body is not directed by the work of other states or partisan gamesmanship. We may ultimately decide to propose a new congressional map based on our exploration, or we may not.”
Outside the Capitol, protesters gathered to oppose Republican effort.
“I think a lotta people didn’t expect anyone to come from this far away, but we are a determined bunch,” said Teresa Stohs, a Naples resident who traveled to Tallahassee to protest.
At least six other states are redrawing maps, or at least attempting to, ahead of next year’s midterm election. Florida’s redistricting process is somewhat unique, however, because of its 2010 “Fair Districts” constitutional amendment, which prohibits maps drawn to favor political parties or incumbents.
“Florida voters approved the Fair District Amendments in 2010 because we wanted to rid our system of this type of partisan gerrymandering and rigging for political gain,” said Genesis Robinson of the voting rights group Equal Ground.
Over the summer, President Donald Trump urged Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps to expand the GOP majority in Congress, alleging Democratic leaders in other states have gerrymandered maps of their own. Gov. Ron DeSantis reaffirmed his administration’s intent to follow along, noting the state will likely pursue changes if and when the U.S. Supreme Court rethinks federal redistricting rules.
“We’re going to do it,” DeSantis said. “And part of it is we’re going to be forced to do it, I think, because the Supreme Court’s VRA decision is going to impact the current map. So just no matter what else happens, that is going to have to be addressed.”
The governor’s plan, though, will require House and Senate cooperation.
“Three people have to turn the keys at the same time in order to get new maps,” said Jonathan Webber of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “And right now, it does not seem like all three people are aligned. And maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s a bad thing. But overall, it’s a bad thing for the people of Florida that there is not clear leadership from their leaders.”
Thus far, the Senate has taken no action on the issue. In a memo, Senate President Ben Albritton said work on redistricting may launch in the new year.
“The Governor has expressed a desire to address this issue next spring,” Albritton said in a statement. “As such, there is no ongoing work regarding potential mid-decade redistricting taking place in the Senate at this time.”