Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional district map into law on Monday, a move that gives Republicans an electoral advantage in four additional races for the November midterm elections. The map, which has been criticized as a partisan gerrymander, was approved despite a state constitutional ban on such redistricting.
DeSantis Approves Controversial Redistricting
DeSantis announced the signing in a post on X, declaring, "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered," along with a map of the new districts. The governor, a Republican, has effectively reshaped the political landscape in Florida, slicing and dicing districts around Miami, Orlando, and the Tampa Bay area. The new map packs reliably Democratic voters around Orlando into a single district, forcing Democratic Representatives Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost to compete for the same voters. Conversely, the Tampa Bay area is split from two districts into three, shoring up the 13th district for Republicans, now held by firebrand Trump supporter and influencer Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, while weakening a left-leaning district held by Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor.
Impact on Current Delegation
Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a longtime figure in the Democratic National Committee, has had her seat drawn out from under her. Miami’s Democrats have been packed into three tight districts along the coast. Florida’s current delegation consists of 20 Republicans and eight Democrats. Critics from both sides of the aisle have condemned the redistricting. Democrats accuse DeSantis of violating the state’s constitution, which includes a plain-language prohibition on partisan gerrymandering passed by popular mandate. Republicans fear the aggressive redraw could endanger as many of Florida’s Republican representatives as it protects, potentially backfiring.
Legal Challenge Filed Immediately
Opponents swiftly filed a lawsuit in Leon County challenging the redistricting. The Elias Law Group, which has been contesting redistricting efforts across the country over the past year, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Equal Ground Education Fund and 18 Florida voters. The suit argues that the new congressional map constitutes an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander in violation of the Florida constitution’s fair districts amendment.
