{"id":252149,"date":"2026-04-30T06:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T06:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252149\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T06:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T06:14:10","slug":"florida-legislature-approves-redistricting-map-that-helps-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252149\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Legislature approves redistricting map that helps GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE \u2013After hours of heated debate, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature on Wednesday approved a new congressional map that favors the GOP<\/a> in upcoming mid-term elections and seems nearly certain to spawn a flurry of lawsuits.<\/p>\n

The map eliminates four Democrat-leaning districts, including one Hispanic majority district in Central Florida, and tilts the balance of the Florida delegation even more red. Florida\u2019s current congressional delegation has 20 Republicans and eight Democrats.<\/p>\n

The new map, proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, looks likely to make it 24 to four.<\/p>\n

As lawmakers held hearings on the map Wednesday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court dropped its much-anticipated ruling in a Louisiana court case<\/a>, striking down a majority Black congressional district in that state. The high court ruled unconstitutional part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and said that district was drawn with race too much of a consideration.<\/p>\n

That ruling left Democrats opposed to the map arguing whether Florida\u2019s Fair District amendments, which prohibit partisan gerrymandering, still made the DeSantis proposal improper. Fair Districts were approved by Florida voters in 2010.<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019 office had bet that the nation\u2019s high court would rule against Louisiana\u2019s district and against parts of the 61-year-old law. In fact, in a memo submitted to state lawmakers alongside the map released Monday, it argued that considering race when drawing congressional districts was unconstitutional. It also said Fair Districts shouldn\u2019t be considered as it also required that race be taken into account during redistricting.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalled this one months ago,\u201d DeSantis posted on X after the court\u2019s decision was released.<\/p>\n

He also wrote that problems with Florida\u2019s current congressional map would be corrected once the Legislature approved the new one.<\/p>\n

The Senate voted for the redistricting bill, which included the map, 21-17, with all 12 Democrats, four Republicans and one independent voting \u2018no.\u2019 The House voted 83-28 to approve the same legislation, adopting it hours earlier after limited debate.<\/p>\n

During the Senate debate, Democrats argued that voting for the map was a violation of the oath of office lawmakers took to uphold the constitution. They said it violated Fair Districts as it amounted to partisan gerrymandering.<\/p>\n

But Sen. Don Gaetz, the Niceville Republican who sponsored the bill, said he was not convinced. \u201cI am not persuaded that the map is necessarily beneficial to Republicans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During Tuesday\u2019s committee hearings, however, Jason Poreda, on the governor\u2019s staff, said he drew the maps two weeks before the session began with no consideration for race. But he admitted that he did look at political data. The map DeSantis\u2019 office released Monday was also color-coded in red and blue, with most of the map red, the color of the GOP.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe governor\u2019s office openly admitted they considered partisan criteria in drawing this map,\u201d said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando. \u201cThose are pretty stunning assertions from my perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said Fair Districts doesn\u2019t allow that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt says NO plan shall be drawn with intent to favor or disfavor partisan or incumbent,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThat is just the black and white text.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Florida Democratic Party, as soon as the map was released, said it was preparing lawsuits.<\/p>\n

DeSantis spent months urging the Legislature to take up a rare mid-decade redistricting process leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, responding to a call from President Donald Trump that Republican-led states try to increase the number of GOP seats to hold onto Congress.<\/p>\n

He said Florida\u2019s population growth also justified redrawing the congressional districts.<\/p>\n

Senate President Ben Albritton called a one-hour recess after the Supreme Court ruling was released.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is at the very heart of what we\u2019re doing today,\u201d said Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach.<\/p>\n

The House leadership turned down a similar request and voted quickly to approve the map.<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019 post on X argued that the court\u2019s ruling invalidated provisions of Fair Amendments that aim to protect the voting rights of minorities.<\/p>\n

Several legal analysts disputed that interpretation, saying it merely narrowed down the scope of a provision that allowed race as a factor in redistricting as long as there is \u201cstrong\u201d evidence of racial discrimination.<\/p>\n

But Republican leaders said they were convinced the new map was rightly drawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an evolving legal landscape in Florida,\u201d said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Naples, the sponsor of the House version of the redistricting bill. \u201cThis map is based on a strong and viable legal interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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