Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday submitted his own proposals for Florida’s congressional redistricting maps to Florida lawmakers. The Florida legislature is tasked with approving the congressional maps before this legislative session ends in March.
The proposed maps that DeSantis submitted includes 18 seats that Donald Trump would have won in 2020. The existing Florida Senate maps only have 16 Trump-leaning seats.
“We have submitted an alternative proposal, which we can support, that adhere to federal and state requirements and addresses our legal concerns, while working to increase district compactness, minimize county splits where feasible, and protect minority voting populations,” said DeSantis’ General Counsel Ryan Newman.
The submission indicates DeSantis’ dissatisfaction with the maps lawmakers are currently considering, and Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-District 32) has echoed similar sentiments.
“The existing maps were written by an unelected, radical left wing court seven years ago — the governor’s excellent map set corrects this problem by creating compact and suburban/exurban districts,” Sabatini said to POLITICO. “The Senate stupidly proposed a map which was nearly identical to the left wing court map that exists currently.”
In DeSantis’ new proposed maps, Congressional District 5, a district that stretches from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, does not exist. District 5 is currently held by Democratic Congressman Al Lawson who has condemned DeSantis’ maps. Back in the 1990s, Lawson worked with then-Florida House Speaker turned Congressman Dan Webster to create minority access districts.
“He wants to undo all the work we did under (Speaker) Webster. And to release that plan on MLK Day is just insensitive,” said Lawson. “In all my years in government I’ve never seen the governor’s office submit a map before.”
Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-District 35) proposed changes to the current Senate map designed to keep Miami Gardens, an area he represents, within one district, District 24.
“The latest maps are a severe disservice to the voters of Miami Gardens, a predominantly African American city, with important local challenges that deserve focused representation in Congress,” Jones said.
The League of Women Voters also condemned the Senate’s plans along the same lines as Lawson and Jones.
“It is undeniable that Florida’s minority population has grown since the creation of the current maps in 2016, which used data from the 2010 Census,” said League of Women Voters of Florida President Cecile Scoon. “At this time, it does not appear as if the Senate has explored the possibility that additional minority districts could be created with data from the 2020 Census. The proper steps must be taken before new district lines are approved to ensure that African American and Hispanic voters are fairly represented in the political process.”
However, the Florida Senate has maintained its schedule to consider the Senate maps this week, and not DeSantis’ maps.
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
