TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV\/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Within an hour of Gov. Ron DeSantis signing Florida\u2019s new congressional districts into law, voting advocates challenged them in court.<\/p>\n
Equal Ground Education Fund filed a lawsuit alongside individual plaintiffs on Monday, arguing the map violates Florida\u2019s Fair Districts Amendments, which ban drawing maps for political gain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis map is not just flawed, it is a deliberate and unconstitutional attempt to manipulate our electoral system for partisan gain,\u201d said Genesis Robinson, Equal Ground executive director.<\/p>\n
Robinson said the newly enacted map was pushed through with an unlawful mid-decade redistricting process in direct violation of the Fair Districts Amendments, which Floridians passed to prevent this type of overreach.<\/p>\n
Equal Ground rallied against the maps at the Capitol last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see it for what it is. It\u2019s rigging the map and stacking the deck to give one party an advantage over the other,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit states the new congressional map was proposed and driven by DeSantis and passed by a Legislature that chose to go along with a partisan process. Rather than uphold their constitutional obligation, state leaders worked in concert to advance a map designed to benefit those in power at the expense of Florida voters, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida\u2019s Constitution is clear. The Fair Districts Amendments prohibit maps from being drawn to favor a political party or incumbent. Yet this map does exactly that,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Heritage Action praised DeSantis for signing the map into law, calling it decisive leadership in the effort to reject racial gerrymandering and restore fair representation.<\/p>\n
Florida Politics<\/p>\n
The new map is likely to result in a net gain of up to four Republican-favored congressional seats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the wake of the Louisiana v. Callais decision, Governor DeSantis and the Legislature acted to ensure Florida\u2019s map reflects population growth and real communities, not racial engineering for the sake of political manipulation,\u201d said Dr. Kevin Roberts, Heritage Action president.<\/p>\n
James Quarles, Heritage Action director of advocacy and engagement, said the new map delivers a fair population balance while ending racial gerrymandering, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith explosive population growth creating uneven districts, Florida\u2019s new map finally delivers fair population balance while ending the racial gerrymandering the Supreme Court just ruled unconstitutional. It\u2019s a model other states should follow for equal and fair representation,\u201d Quarles said.<\/p>\n
DeSantis\u2019 office told lawmakers last week that race wasn\u2019t used to draw Florida\u2019s new map. Instead, political data was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not exactly sure when Ron DeSantis and his administration became the judge and jury of what the Florida constitution is and decide which parts of our constitution he can uphold and which ones he doesn\u2019t have to,\u201d said Nikki Fried, Florida Democratic Party chair.<\/p>\n
State lawmakers passed new congressional boundaries in last week\u2019s special session despite polling that showed it\u2019s widely unpopular among voters.<\/p>\n
Fried said the new map might look more red on paper, but it could backfire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey watered down their own districts. What used to be an R +34, 35 is now an R +11,\u201d Fried said.<\/p>\n
Republicans brushed off concerns last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis map is based on a viable interpretation of both the Florida and United States constitutions,\u201d said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers.<\/p>\n
Florida became the first state to pass new maps hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled states can\u2019t rely too heavily on race when drawing districts.<\/p>\n
Political analyst Susan MacManus said voters have more questions than answers, which could hurt turnout in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the most unusual position Florida voters have found themselves in where all of a sudden what they thought was going to be this is now that and we don\u2019t know if the courts are going to step in and change it in time,\u201d MacManus said.<\/p>\n
Alabama and Tennessee are having special sessions to redraw their congressional maps after last week\u2019s Supreme Court ruling.<\/p>\n
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