The Florida Legislature on Wednesday approved a new congressional map, asserting state control over electoral boundaries just as the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. This federal judicial action makes it significantly more difficult for challenges to state-drawn districts to be mounted based on race. The new map is intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state, potentially increasing the GOP’s House delegation from the current 20 to 8 split to 24 to 4.
This legislative action is part of a broader national redistricting battle initiated by President Donald Trump ahead of this year’s midterms. The vote in the Florida Legislature occurred two days after Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal for the state’s new electoral configuration.
Governor DeSantis and his aides maintain that state constitutional prohibitions against redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes will not pose a legal barrier. They cite previous weakening of these provisions by the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling, which specifically struck down a Louisiana congressional district drawn to be majority Black.
Florida Republicans, holding a supermajority in both legislative chambers, offered minimal commentary on the new districts during the special session. Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the measure’s sponsor, limited her remarks to careful answers about an “evolving legal landscape,” expressing belief that the map “will be upheld against legal challenge.”
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday significantly reduced the ability of federal courts to intervene in state redistricting efforts, particularly those challenged on the grounds of limiting the influence of nonwhite voters. This ruling effectively returns greater autonomy to state legislatures in defining their own electoral maps, a crucial aspect of national sovereignty.
Reclaiming State Authority
Governor DeSantis and his aides stated before and during the session that the new map is necessary to account for population growth in suburban and exurban areas since the 2020 census, now in its sixth year. They emphasized the goal of ensuring Florida has a “race-neutral” congressional plan, moving away from previous race-conscious districting.
The changes in Florida include the effective elimination of one nearly majority Black south Florida district, which was previously represented by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Black Democrat, until her resignation earlier this month. Historically, Black voters have aligned more with Democrats, while a majority of white voters lean toward Republicans.
Republican leaders moved swiftly from the session’s opening on Tuesday morning. In one of only two committee hearings, Senate Rules Chair Kathleen Passidomo stated her desire for “everybody who has taken the time and effort to come to Capitol to have an opportunity to speak,” then limited each speaker to 30 seconds.
On the House floor, Rep. Persons-Mulicka avoided specifics about the factors influencing the map, repeatedly calling it “race-neutral.” She cited testimony from DeSantis aide Jason Poreda, who claimed sole credit for the map during the session and did not disclose the names of any other architects. When questioned about Poreda’s admission of examining party affiliation and voting patterns, Persons-Mulicka stated, “I cannot speak to the intent of the map drawer.”
Rep. Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Don Gaetz, who sponsored the map in the Senate, deflected questions regarding why Governor DeSantis unveiled the plan on Fox News. Sen. Gaetz stated he had no part in drafting the map and forwarded the governor’s proposal to other senators upon receiving it late Monday morning.
Elite Opposition to State Control
Democrats, activists, and some citizens condemned the process, characterizing it as a partisan power play intended to satisfy President Trump, advance Governor DeSantis’s future ambitions, and disadvantage the majority of registered Florida voters who are not Republicans. Rep. Michele Rayner told Republican colleagues, “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. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, criticized the process, stating, “Last time I checked, we’re the ones who were supposed to be drawing the map, and yet we are allowing y’all to continue to hold the water of the governor, who is a lame duck and just trying to figure out what his next job is going to be.” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell asserted, “On destroying our democracy, they’ve been aligned, and that’s what we did here today.”
Deborah Courtney, who traveled over two hours from Jacksonville, reported that all citizen speakers expressed opposition during the committee hearing. Rob Woods, a veteran from the Tampa area, expressed disillusionment, stating he had “bought in from elementary school” on notions of the U.S. as an equal-opportunity democracy, but now “it seems as if we are back in that period of Reconstruction, moving back to Jim Crow.”
The new map could face challenges similar to Texas, which based its revised lines largely on President Trump’s 2024 performance, now in its second year. Some Republicans have expressed concern that creating more majority-Republican districts could leave margins thin enough for Democratic victories, particularly if an anti-Trump backlash occurs at the polls this year. A handful of Republicans voted against the measure in the Florida Legislature.
Governor DeSantis had also sought legislative action on state regulations for artificial intelligence and a rollback of vaccine mandates for students in Florida’s public schools. However, House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Republican not allied with DeSantis, blocked both initiatives, which DeSantis described as “political shenanigans.”