JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 On April 28th, Florida is set to join as many as nine other states that have undertaken or are considering mid-decade redistricting, and the power of balance in the US House could be at stake.<\/p>\n
But there are indications that Florida\u2019s GOP majority could be left with a case of buyer\u2019s remorse if they are too aggressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be the voters that choose their elected officials, not their elected officials choosing their voters,\u201d said State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando).<\/p>\n
Eskamani noted that, unlike other states, Florida\u2019s constitution prohibits drawing maps to benefit one party, and Democratic lawmakers are already preparing a lawsuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the legality of this, the cards are stacked against Governor DeSantis and President Trump,\u201d said Eskamani.<\/p>\n
What that map will look like, though, is not yet known.<\/p>\n
Speaker Pro Tem Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville) said lawmakers are waiting to see what map the Governor proposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how we got the current map that\u2019s in place. That came from the Governor after he vetoed our first work product,\u201d said Duggan. \u201dSo, I think the ball is in the Governor\u2019s court.\u201d<\/p>\n
An analysis released this week<\/a> by the Civic Data & Research Institute concluded aggressive redistricting in the Sunshine State could actually increase the number of competitive seats from four to seven.<\/p>\n With recent special elections producing heavy Democratic gains, Eskamani argued Republicans could run the risk of losing seats rather than gaining seats if they push too far.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that this is an example of power-hunger and just unhinged desire to control everything that will backlash,\u201d said Eskamani.<\/p>\n When asked when the Governor\u2019s Office would be ready to present its preferred maps, a spokesperson simply told Action News Jax, \u201cStay tuned\u201d.<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n