TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis late Wednesday moved up the date of a redistricting special session that was scheduled to begin next week — but is also ordering lawmakers back to town to consider a controversial bill on vaccines as well as an artificial intelligence bill of rights.
State lawmakers will return to the city for four days on April 28 for DeSantis to call a new special session.
Florida has been seen as the last redistricting hope for Republicans after months of tit-for-tat frenzy that have spawned referendums and legislative action in several blue and red states. DeSantis initially ordered legislators in January to hold a special session on mid-decade redistricting that would begin next Monday.
The decision to push back the start of the redistricting special session is now set after Virginia’s referendum, which could give Democrats four seats in that state. DeSantis discussed the possibility of changing the session dates Tuesday but said Florida’s efforts were not connected to what was happening in Virginia.
But the Governor’s actions have now also added two controversial and politically fraught items to the Legislature’s agenda at the same time. DeSantis had pushed for an AI Bill of Rights, but it was rejected by the state House, whose leaders said they were aligned with President Donald Trump on leaving regulation up to the federal government.
DeSantis also wanted lawmakers to pass a bill that would expand the types of exemptions parents can use to opt their children out of school vaccines — which also went nowhere in the state House.
It’s unclear whether House Republicans — who have been feuding with the governor for more than a year — will go along with the additional items DeSantis is seeking. One GOP state lawmaker, granting anonymity to speak candidly, messaged: “No mention of property tax reform.” DeSantis has promised for months that he would put a property tax proposal he wants on the November 2026 ballot.
State House Speaker Daniel Perez said in a brief statement that “We look forward to seeing the Governor’s proposed map. Other issues outlined in the proclamation will be evaluated after seeing the draft legislation.”
It appears DeSantis will remain a more responsible partner in Tallahassee’s other legislative chamber. State Senate President Ben Albritton sent a memo Thursday evening explaining that senators will be filing bills that will be considered during the special session and describing the need for a “medical freedom” bill and consumer protections for AI.
Albritton also said that the DeSantis administration would be responsible for submitting proposed congressional maps for consideration by the Senate. He said it was “my expectation” that the governor’s office would be responsible for presenting and explaining the map to senators at the committee meeting. DeSantis previously dodged a question about whether his office would draft a map for consideration.
Democrats are staunchly opposed to redistricting and earlier in the day called it “illegal” because the Florida Constitution prohibits drawing new districts for partisan gain or to help or disadvantage existing ones.
“Pushing it back a week doesn’t change the fact that there’s no reason for us to draw a congressional map restricting mid-decade,” state Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman said after news of the session delay was released. “The same concerns we raised – related to the fact that there are no new census numbers and the only reason for it appears to be to gain more Republican seats – are still in play. This is a violation of the Fair Districts Amendment and is unconstitutional.”
In his memo, Albritton once again warned lawmakers about constitutional restrictions on redistricting.
“The Florida Constitution includes strict guidelines for what information the Legislature can and cannot consider when drawing new congressional districts,” they wrote. “Regardless of the forum or format, we can only consider the views and feedback in keeping with constitutional standards. Senator.”
We must take care to distinguish ourselves from partisan-funded organizations and other interests that may intentionally or unintentionally attempt to inappropriately influence redistricting.”
State Senator Joe Gruters, who is also chairman of the Republican National Committee, has already said he will not attend the special session on redistricting to avoid any potential conflict.
In 2022, DeSantis vetoed the congressional map proposed that year by the GOP-controlled Legislature and ushered through the current version, giving Republicans a 20–8 majority in the Sunshine State. DeSantis first began calling a special session last summer, based on an impending U.S. Supreme Court decision that could prevent states from considering the racial makeup of the voting population when drafting districts. But the High Court has not yet ruled on that matter.
Some GOP consultants initially talked about picking up three to five Sunshine State seats, but that enthusiasm has cooled as the political environment has proven more challenging for Republicans. But last weekend a well-known Republican consultant from Florida released its own analysis He argued that the redrawn map could increase the number of competitive seats in the state and would result in no net gain for the GOP.
DeSantis, who is term limited and will leave office next January, said After the conclusion of this year’s regular legislative session He was ready to advance some of his top priorities like the AI Bill of Rights and the vaccine exemption bill.
Berman said she’s glad the governor has put AI on the agenda, because she’s concerned about the many impacts this technology will have on Floridians, including schools.
“We failed to get ahead of social media,” he said, “and I think if we wait another year we’ll be even further behind in terms of artificial intelligence, and some of the things we talked about getting right in the bill may already have come into play.”
Meanwhile, House Democratic leader Fenris Driskell criticized the governor for rolling back the vaccine law. He said legislators should work on a new state budget — which they failed to pass during the session that ended in March — or work on other items to deal with the state’s affordability crisis.
“Governor DeSantis’ decision to delay Florida’s special session until April 28 and implement his anti-vaccination agenda under the guise of ‘medical freedom’ is a disservice to every Florida family struggling to make ends meet,” Driskell said.
