Florida House Passes DeSantis Congressional Redistricting Map 83-28
Florida House approves Governor DeSantis’ redistricting map that could add four GOP congressional seats, despite Democratic protests over partisan gerrymandering concerns.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — The Florida House of Representatives approved Governor Ron DeSantis’ congressional redistricting map Wednesday morning in an 83-28 vote that could deliver Republicans up to four additional congressional districts.
The session lasted less than 90 minutes, with no Republicans participating in debate on the controversial map. The vote occurred as Jacksonville Democratic Representative Angie Nixon, a candidate for U.S. Senate, disrupted proceedings by shouting that the map “was out of order.”
Supreme Court Ruling Influences Timeline
The Florida Senate planned to vote on the redistricting map later Wednesday but took a break to review the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Louisiana’s voting map. The court concluded that Louisiana lawmakers had illegally used race when drawing a new majority-minority district.
House members defeated a Democratic motion to delay the vote in light of the Supreme Court ruling through a voice vote. DeSantis had previously stated that the Legislature would need to redraw the state’s map if the court ruled as he predicted.
“Called this one months ago,” DeSantis posted on social media. “The decision implicates a district in FL — the legal infirmities of which have been corrected in the newly-drawn (and soon to be enacted) map.”
Mid-Decade Redistricting Trend
If the Senate approves the map and DeSantis signs it into law, Florida would join several states that have redistricted their congressional delegations mid-decade. Red states including Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri have already taken similar actions.
Blue states such as California and Virginia have also redistricted following President Donald Trump’s directive last year to Texas GOP lawmakers to protect Republican control of the House in this year’s midterm elections.
Democrats Challenge Partisan Data Use
During House floor debate, Democrats highlighted testimony from Jason Poreda, the governor’s staffer who drew the map. Poreda admitted Tuesday that he used partisan data in creating the redistricting plan, potentially violating Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment passed by voters in 2010 that bans partisan gerrymandering.
“The man who drew this map testified under oath that he used partisan data to draw up every single district,” said House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell. “Every single one. And when the governor’s attorney was asked whether Democratic voters were being underrepresented in our congressional delegation, he couldn’t answer.”
The redistricting effort represents a shift in Florida’s congressional landscape, with the potential to strengthen Republican representation in the state’s federal delegation ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
