The Florida House voted along party lines to approve a redistricting plan for itself and asked the state Senate to go along amid lingering uncertainty over the fate of congressional redistricting generated when Gov. Ron DeSantis got involved.
The final vote on the House plan was 77-39, with Democrats complaining the new map doesn’t adequately account for growth in the Black and Hispanic populations.
Democrats complained about the process by which the maps were drawn — of having too little time to vet map versions as committee staff produced them; of nondisclosure of the names of outside attorneys who advised the panels; of lack of public input.
“I don’t choose to vote for a map that I don’t know is constitutionally compliant,” said Joe Geller, representing parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
However, Redistricting Chairman Tom Leek, a Volusia County Republican, said the process was designed to avoid the protracted litigation that followed redistricting following the 2010 Census, when the Florida Supreme Court ruled that partisan politics tainted much of the process.
“This is not your father’s redistricting process,” Leek said.
DeSantis has asked the Florida Supreme Court for legal guidance regarding his own, more aggressively partisan, ideas about how to redraw district boundaries for its congressional delegation, which will grow to 28 total seats to reflect population grown documented by the 2020 U.S. Census.
The House and Senate traditionally have deferred to each other’s plans for their own redistricting, but DeSantis can veto any legislative redistricting for Congress.
Analysts suggest the House plan would give Republicans control of 71 and Democrats 49 out of the total 120 districts, based on voters in each who opted for Donald Trump against Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. The lineup now is 78 Republican-leaning and 42 Democratic seats.
Some 18 of the planned new districts are either majority-minority Black or lean toward them and 12 lean Hispanic. The overall number of protected Black and Hispanic seats would be unchanged from the old maps, notwithstanding population increases. Republican map drawers suggest that’s because of settlement patterns within those communities.
The Senate map for itself that includes 23 seats that lean Republican, 13 leaning Democratic, and four competitive constituencies. That chamber has also OK’d a congressional map containing 16 likely GOP seats and 12 likely to skew Democratic.
Wednesday’s House vote included approval of the Senate plan; all that’s left now is for the Senate to OK the House plan and for the state Supreme Court to approve them or not.
The House had planned a committee hearing Friday on its congressional map on Friday but put that off after DeSantis waded into the debate on Tuesday.
The governor’s plans would create 18 GOP districts and 10 for Democrats. That compares to 16 GOP seats against the Democrats’ 11 under the existing apportionment.
During debate, Democrat Geraldine Thompson of Orange County complained the map provides for only 30 minority-dominated districts — the same number as now — and asserted that represents a “ghetto mentality.”
“We should not be bound by a quota,” Thompson said.
Republican Randy Fine of Brevard County, vice chairman of the Reapportionment Committee, retorted that Blacks’ and Hispanics’ share of the population remain roughly the same, given overall population growth. And Miami-Dade lost an Hispanic leaning seat because that count’s growth lagged but that Osceola County, which grew by 45 percent, picked up an Hispanic seat.
“So, the math works,” Fine said.
Tyler Sirois, also of Brevard and chairman of the chamber’s congressional redistricting committee, insisted that a legislative website gave ample opportunity for public participation, and that people did chime in.
However, Evan Jenne, a Democrat from Broward County, replied that the portal was inaccessible to non-English speakers, being “nearly devoid of any language but English.” He argued for turning the whole process over to a nonpartisan commission, as other states have done.
Republicans argued the House map goes beyond the Florida Supreme Court’s guidelines for having close to equal populations within each district.
–Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix
Dennis says
Before the democrats cry about being cheated, Look at what the democrats did with the map of New York redistributing. It’s politics at its best.
Deborah Coffey says
This is how Republicans “fix” elections and maintain MINORITY rule. “The lineup now is 78 Republican-leaning and 42 Democratic seats.” It’s cheating by any decent person’s standard.
Data as of December 31, 2021.
Year Republican Party Democratic Party Minor Parties No Party Affiliation Total
2021 5,123,799 5,080,697 253,843 3,829,372 14,287,711
Bartholomew says
Yes it is, but it would be nice if it wasn’t. I know I live in fantasyland.
Sherry says
Yet another FOX “whataboutism” from a usual suspect. And, NO “two wrongs don’t make a right”! Partisan redistricting in every state is wrong. Unfortunately, the politicians who could change the practice are the very ones implementing such strategies in desperate attempts to hold onto political power= fundamental corruption at the roots of governance.
Yes, we need political “term limits”, and the strict limitation of legal bribes, AKA “campaign contributions”, at every level. Good Luck With That!
Mark says
No matter how much lipstick they put on that pig it still smells. Gerrymandering from either Party always smacks of cheating yet the GOP seems to take it to new lengths every time they have a chance. Best solution while they’re in session is pass a bill that ALL redistricting in the State will be done by a nonpartisan committee from here on out. Otherwise it will always land in the courts, just like this redistricting will do.
Steve says
This is Florida not NYC. Who cares. Incapable of sticking to the Topic. Nice You did it first, playground stuff.
Deborah Coffey says
Yes, look! New York fought back…fire with fire. It’s about time somebody tries to stop Republican MINORITY rule!
A.j says
This is why Dems. need to vote. When you don’t vote this is what happens. Why blame the Repubs. the Dems. gave them the ball because enough Dems. don’t vote. People don’t move until the heat get too hot. The Repubs. Will turn up the heat and the Dems. Will vote in groves and vote the Repubs. out of office. This is a great set up for the Dems.
flatsflyer says
Now DeathSantis wants to prevent hospitals from restrictin patient visitation for Virus infected individuals. His rational is that everyone should have access to dying patients, those infected primarily because they didn’t get free screening and vaccinations. I think this is a great idea, one way to kill more Republicans, the fewer there are the better off we all will be. DeSantis must have a Phd in Darwin Studies.