Florida begins a special session on Tuesday in what may be the last front of the redistricting war before the 2026 election, with Republicans trying to redraw maps to pick up more seats in Congress. Lawmakers enter the session in Tallahassee cloaked in mystery, with no preview of a proposed map to consider and no clear path for Republicans to increase their representation in what appears to be a hostile year for their party.
The session comes after Virginians voted to redraw their maps, continuing a nationwide back-and-forth between states under Democratic and Republican control. Donald Trump has pressured Republicans to protect their House majority, and Florida's move follows earlier redraws in Texas, California, Missouri and Ohio. The filing deadline for congressional candidates in Florida is 12 June, and party primary votes are held on 18 August.
With little time left, staff of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis have reportedly been drafting a map in secret to be presented on Tuesday. A memo from state senate president Ben Albritton said the senate is not producing a map, but expects a proposal from the governor's office. Florida currently sends 20 Republicans and eight Democrats to Congress, but three Republican incumbents—Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna and María Elvira Salazar—are in relatively soft districts and are Democratic targets.
Any map approved must contend with the Fair Districts amendment, a state constitutional amendment barring political gerrymandering, and is likely to face legal challenges similar to Virginia's paused redraw. Albritton’s memo warned senators to expect to be deposed in inevitable lawsuits and to avoid partisan influence. Secrecy may provide plausible deniability over questions of legislative intent, aiming to keep the map in place at least through the 2026 election.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries threatened a wider Democratic front if Florida proceeds, naming eight Republican lawmakers to be “aggressively targeted”. “If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats,” Jeffries said. “We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win. Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”
