The governor and other Republicans previously said that the Supreme Court case was one reason why redistricting was brought up in a special session.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law on May 4 a new non-raced based congressional map that could add four districts favorable for Republicans ahead of a high-stakes midterm election this year.
The Sunshine State’s redistricting was passed by the state legislature last week during a special session and comes amid a nationwide redistricting battle with Republicans’ slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives on the line.
“Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” DeSantis said in a post on X with a map of the new districts in Florida.
Democratic state lawmakers have called the governor’s redistricting effort, which leaves the Tampa Bay area without any Democratic districts, illegal and a hasty attempt to redraw the map ahead of midterms.
Sen. Darryl Rouson (D-Fla.) said during debate on the map last week that it’s “politically motivated.”
Other state lawmakers claim it’s a violation of their oaths as representatives, saying the map is an illegal attempt to eliminate Democratic seats while strengthening Republicans’ chances to widen their majority in Congress.
The GOP is expected to win 24 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats, widening their previous 20–7 split. One seat is still vacant following the resignation of Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who is under investigation for alleged fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Florida House and Senate reviewed and debated the new map for about a day and a half during their special session last week before passing it by both chambers on April 29. The lower chamber advanced it that morning in an 83–28 vote.
One Democratic representative disrupted the House’s proceedings as members voted on the bill, walking up and down the center aisle of the floor, shouting loudly into a bullhorn about the map’s alleged illegality.
State Rep. Yvette Benarroch (R-Fla.), who sat near Democratic Rep. Angela Nixon during her outburst, called the behavior unacceptable.
“Rep. Nixon used a blow horn next to my ear. I had to seek medical attention and am now dealing with possible damage to my ear,” Benarroch wrote in a post on X. “We must do better.”
By Troy Myers
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