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Florida’s new congressional map.<\/p>\n
(Florida Phoenix)<\/p>\n
Critics argue the map intentionally weakens Black voting power and undermines Florida\u2019s voter-approvedFair Districts Amendment<\/a>. With federal qualifying approaching in June, South Florida leaders are sounding the alarm.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s no such thing as race-neutral. It\u2019s racism. This is a disrespect to Florida voters,\u201d said State Sen. Shevrin Jones, calling the lines illegal and unconstitutional. \u201cIn 2010, the Florida voters voted by over 60% to make it known that they did not want partisan gerrymandered maps drawn in our state. The Fair Districts Act is still the law of the land.\u201d<\/p>\n State Sen. Shevrin Jones.<\/p>\n (Florida Senate)<\/p>\n State Rep. Angie Nixon, who is running for U.S. Senate and was sanctioned<\/a>for protesting with a megaphone during the redistricting vote, accused DeSantis of overstepping his bounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThe governor’s office is not supposed to draw maps. That is what state legislators are supposed to do,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n Jacksonville Rep. Angie Nixon protested as soon as the House passed the map.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Florida Politics)<\/p>\n The effort is part of a nationwide fight to gain control ahead of the midterms, sparked by Texas’ redistricting blitz. The issue will take center stage on Wednesday at Jones\u2019 community strategy session, \u201cThe Truth,\u201d<\/a> which focuses on redistricting, voting rights and political organizing.<\/p>\n What changes in South Florida?<\/p>\n People hold signs denouncing voter suppression across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n (ACLU)<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s new map has redrawn the two Democratic-leaning districts in South Florida represented by Black officials, making nearby districts more competitive for Republicans. This method, known as “packing” and “cracking,” consolidates minority communities to boost majority power.<\/p>\n The most dramatic local change centers on Florida\u2019s 20th Congressional District, a heavily Black district left vacant after Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick\u2019sresignation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Originally drawn to comply with Voting Rights Act provisions weakened by the Supreme Court in May, Gov. DeSantis dismantled the original Palm Beach-Broward layout, calling it an “egregious race-based gerrymander.” Under the new map, neighborhoods previously in the district are pulled into surrounding white majority districts, \u201ccracking\u201d Black majority areas to weaken their collective voting power.<\/p>\n The new configuration is entirely within Broward County, consolidating cities such as Margate, Tamarac, Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes, along with parts of Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Plantation, Pompano Beach and Sunrise.<\/p>\n Sen. Shevrin Jones in committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Florida Senate)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Voting Rights Act of 1965 was not a suggestion; these were mandates,\u201d Jones said, linking the changes to a nationwide rollback of civil rights. \u201cNow we\u2019re slipping back into the Jim Crow era. It is a slap in the face to the people who bled and died for the Voting Rights Act.\u201d<\/p>\n NAACP Miami-Dade President Daniella Pierre echoed the concern.<\/p>\n NAACP Miami-Dade Branch President Daniella Pierre.\u00a0<\/p>\n (NAACP Miami Dade)<\/p>\n \u201cHistorically, that district has had the representation of Black leadership,\u201d said Pierre. \u201cWe are concerned these changes may remove the representation that is so needed when it comes to making fair decisions that relate to public policy and Black people.\u201d<\/p>\n Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represented an area now fractured into five districts and whose old district (FL-25) was assigned to a coastal Palm Beach strip where she does not live, has faced pushback<\/a>against the possibility of her running in District 20.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, District 24, represented by Frederica Wilson, shifted north into Broward, adding parts of Hollywood while carving out Miami Beach. It remains Democratic-leaning and retains historically Black communities like Miami Gardens and Opa-locka, among others. The district is now more heavily concentrated, or \u201cpacked,\u201d with Black voters, ensuring the surrounding districts have larger white majorities.<\/p>\n However, Jones warned that Central Florida’s aggressive map changes prove no region is safe.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Congresswoman Wilson’s district is still a Black district, if they can break up districts\u00a0 like what they did in Orlando and they broke an original metro area district up into four, what makes you think that Miami Gardens is not next on the chopping block?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n In contrast, Republican-held seats saw minimal disruption. District 26, represented by Mario Diaz-Balart, dropped Collier County to take in parts of Pembroke Pines. Districts 27 and 28, represented by Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gim\u00e9nez, remained largely unchanged.\u00a0<\/p>\n Input your address at https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/69a85aceed7847d295f78f1c44baff64<\/a>to determine which district you fall in now.<\/p>\n Voting power diluted<\/p>\n Civil rights advocates emphasize that the impact of the new map extends far beyond Election Day, threatening the foundational resources of marginalized communities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very concerned that the Black vote has been potentially diluted,\u201d Pierre said. \u201cWhat it looks like is exactly going back to having no representation. That looks like erasing of Black history. That looks like an attack on our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Equal Ground’s Genesis Robinson speaks as a crowd protesting mid-decade redistricting gathers outside the Florida Capitol, where lawmakers convened inside in a special session on the matter on April 28, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Florida Phoenix)<\/p>\n Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, said communities often disengage when they believe their voting power has been intentionally weakened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you deny an opportunity for communities to have a fair shot, people feel disempowered, and they don\u2019t engage,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cThey don\u2019t vote, they don\u2019t participate because the outcome has basically been decided before there\u2019s a chance for them to even cast a vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones noted that when representation is weakened, neighborhoods lose leverage to fight for investments.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you take people away from the table that look, feel and live like the community, you can start breaking down these communities in real ways,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Black communities, we have very little already because of redlining, infrastructure problems \u2014 we\u2019re seeing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Nixon echoed these fears, warning that underrepresented communities face direct quality-of-life consequences in healthcare, education and public safety.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to see less public education funding because the people who choose to elect them \u2014 a lot of them are going to private schools. They don\u2019t need the advocacy,\u201d Nixon said. \u201cWho\u2019s going to advocate for rural hospitals? Who\u2019s going to advocate for the urban core? For health disparities that are running rampant in our communities? We stand to lose services, maybe be over-policed, treated as second- and third-class citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n Litigation underway<\/p>\n As soon as the map was signed into law, lawsuits followed.<\/p>\n Three separate lawsuits have already been consolidated into a single case before Leon County Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes, a DeSantis appointee, during the first hearing on May 15.<\/p>\n Equal Ground filed the initial 71-page lawsuit<\/a>, arguing the map openly violates Florida\u2019s Fair Districts Amendment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a shift allows the Republican Party to potentially capture 24 of Florida\u2019s 28 seats, that is a clear violation of the state constitution,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n While recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions weakened portions of the federal Voting Rights Act, Robinson said Florida\u2019s constitutional protections remain separate.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what is so great about the Fair Districts Amendment,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople in Florida have a right to self-determine what happens in their state.\u201d<\/p>\n As first reported byFlorida Politics,<\/a> during the May 15 hearing, plaintiffs argued the map’s partisan intent was undeniable, drawn to benefit Republicans and hurt Democrats in the midterm elections this fall. They highlighted Senate testimony from Jason Poreda, the governor’s senior analyst who drew the map, who admitted<\/a>to using partisan data to craft the boundaries.<\/p>\n Much of the hearing focused heavily on timing. State attorneys argued that throwing out the existing map so close to an election would trigger administrative chaos. Plaintiffs have asked Hawkes to issue an immediate temporary injunction blocking the new map and reinstating the previous boundaries for the 2026 midterm cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n The federal candidate qualifying deadline has already been pushed to June 12, with pre-qualifying procedures beginning May 25. Hawkes did not immediately rule and said he would issue a written decision after reviewing transcripts and legal briefs.<\/p>\n Despite the legal uncertainty, local organizers insist the community cannot afford to disengage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the time for voter apathy,\u201d Pierre said. \u201cThis is the time we need everyone to register and get out the vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones plans to use the “The Truth” strategy session \u2014 taking place Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Little Haiti Cultural Center \u2014 to mobilize voters alongside Rep. Nixon, Rep. Ashley Gantt, the NAACP Miami-Dade and Equal Ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWednesday will not be about talking about the problem,\u201d Jones said. \u201cMy goal is that when we walk outside this door, everybody got marching orders of what you can and should be doing from now until the day you die to ensure that we maintain our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked for a message for voters, he put it bluntly: \u201cWe ain\u2019t going back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida\u2019s newly signed congressional map is reshaping the state’s political landscape, with advocates warning it could alter voting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[118793,506,118792,118796,116675,109516,118795,17894,8867,41125,4014,8701,28453,123,2431,125,124,44361,28229,118798,557,118797,41121,2830,118794,4243,17893,56181],"class_list":["post-278375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-black-voting-power","tag-broward-county","tag-congressional-map-florida","tag-district-24-florida","tag-equal-ground","tag-fair-districts-amendment","tag-florida-20th-congressional-district","tag-florida-redistricting","tag-frederica-wilson","tag-gerrymandering","tag-lauderdale-lakes","tag-lauderhill","tag-margate","tag-miami","tag-miami-gardens","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-midterm-elections","tag-naacp-miami-dade","tag-packing-and-cracking","tag-palm-beach-county","tag-redistricting-lawsuit","tag-ron-desantis-redistricting","tag-shevrin-jones","tag-south-florida-districts","tag-tamarac","tag-voting-rights","tag-voting-rights-act"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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