Tallahassee, Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis delivered to state legislators A new congressional map Many incumbents’ congressional districts will change drastically on Monday and could result in Republicans gaining additional seats.
DeSantis delivered the map to lawmakers only about 24 hours before a special session, during which the GOP-controlled Legislature is expected to approve the new lines and implement them before the 2026 midterms. Republicans already have a 20-8 lead in the Sunshine State.
Florida is one of the last states to move forward on mid-decade redistricting, a process started last year by President Donald Trump and the White House. The debate over these efforts has heated up in recent weeks after Virginia voters approved Democrats’ attempt to take control of the state — and midterm elections are likely to determine control of the House.
Unlike other states, Florida law prohibits redrawing congressional or state legislative maps for partisan gain or to help or hurt incumbents.
but a Legal memorandum given to MLAs DeSantis’ general counsel David Axelman suggests those provisions may no longer be valid because of a state Supreme Court decision that upheld the current congressional map.
That memo said the new map removed all districts that were previously drawn with minority voter protections. Districts in the Tampa Bay area and Orlando – which include Democratic incumbents – were also redrawn to account for “dramatic population changes”, though the map still relies on 2020 US Census data.
Democrats say the redistricting effort is illegal, and anticipate lawsuits.
