TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 Thursday marks the first step forward for redistricting in Florida as the House Committe on Congressional Redistricting will meet for the first time.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Gov. DeSantis is reaffirming Florida\u2019s goal to redraw its congressional maps
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He provided a potential special session timeline of March, April and May
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Critics rebuke the effort as a politically motivated effort, rallied by President Trump<\/p>\n
On the board is Orlando Democratic Rep. Johanna Lopez, who represents District 43.<\/p>\n
There has been lots of mixed reactions following Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 announcement, as he announced that he is planning on calling a special session as early as next March so that lawmakers can redraw Florida\u2019s map.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to redistrict\u2026 we\u2019re going to do it next spring,\u201d DeSantis said in an exclusive interview<\/a> with The Floridian, a news site focused on Florida politics.<\/p>\n DeSantis said the timeline for a special session could range from March to May. <\/p>\n In order for that to happen though, he still needs approval from the House and Senate as the timing of his announcement would allow the Sunshine State to watch the U.S. Supreme Court, which is reconsidering parts of the voting rights act of 1965, which amongst other things, gives minorities the power to challenge discriminatory maps.\u00a0<\/p>\n Voting rights advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union worry that this move could unlawfully benefit one party over another. Civil\u2011rights groups and voting\u2011rights advocates warn that a new round of redistricting could collide with Florida\u2019s own constitutional limits.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be perfectly clear, in Florida, it\u2019s illegal and unconstitutional to draw districts to benefit one party over another,\u201d said Abdelilah Skhir of the ACLU at a press conference Tuesday in the Capitol.<\/p>\n \u00a0Meanwhile, some Republican leaders frame the push as part of a broader national battle over the congressional map. At least six other states are already revisiting their lines, and allies of President Donald Trump are urging Republican\u2011controlled legislatures to follow suit. Trump first made the call in summer of 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will end in two very partisan draws in red and blue states, I would imagine,\u201d said Florida GOP Chair Evan Power. \u201cBut that\u2019s what they\u2019re trying to do in California. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done in Massachusetts. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done in New York. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done in Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics in Florida describe the governor\u2019s plan as political, discriminatory, and potentially unlawful. They point to the state\u2019s \u201cFair Districts\u201d amendments, which ban maps that favor a party or an incumbent.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the Legislature: Your constitutional duty could not be more clear,\u201d said Jonathan Webber of Southern Poverty Law Center<\/a>. \u201cYou can obey the Constitution or bow to political pressure, but you cannot do both.\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis will need the support of both the Florida House and Senate to redraw Florida\u2019s lines. The Florida House<\/a>\u2019s committee on redistricting is scheduled to meet later this week. It\u2019ll mark the panel\u2019s first meeting, and the Legislature\u2019s most meaningful step yet toward new maps.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Florida Senate has yet to formally publish an opinion. Nor did Senate President Ben Albritton assemble a panel to brainstorm redistricting, like the House.<\/p>\n