TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature has given final approval to a congressional redistricting plan designed to strengthen GOP control of the state’s House delegation in upcoming midterm elections.
The legislative action occurred merely 48 hours after Governor Ron DeSantis presented his redistricting proposal, coinciding with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened key Voting Rights Act protections. This Supreme Court ruling may complicate Democratic efforts to contest Republican redistricting plans that potentially diminish minority voter influence.
Under DeSantis’ redistricting scheme, Florida’s congressional representation could shift dramatically from the existing 20-8 Republican split to a commanding 24-4 GOP majority. This potential pickup of four additional Republican seats matches what Virginia Democrats anticipate gaining from their own recent redistricting changes, though those face ongoing state court challenges.
Legal challenges to Florida’s new boundaries appear inevitable, particularly given state constitutional language that explicitly forbids redistricting for partisan political gain. However, DeSantis and his team express confidence that these constitutional protections have been significantly undermined by previous Florida Supreme Court decisions and Wednesday’s federal Supreme Court action.
During the hastily convened special legislative session, Florida Republicans holding supermajorities in both chambers offered minimal discussion about the new district boundaries. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka from Fort Myers, restricted her comments to cautious responses about the changing legal environment when pressed by Democratic lawmakers about the redistricting effort.
“I believe that there is a likelihood that that map will be upheld against legal challenge,” Persons-Mulicka said.
Democratic legislators condemned the redistricting as partisan manipulation designed to appease Trump while undermining the majority of Florida voters who aren’t registered Republicans.
“Y’all are doing this because y’all’s daddy in the White House is injecting national political objectives into what should be a state-driven process,” Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, told her Republican colleagues.
