The Florida House of Representatives has officially begun efforts to redraw the state's congressional maps.
State House Republicans in charge of redistricting said any new map would not be drawn to favor Republicans, Politico reported Thursday. The remark was met with laughter from a committee room filled with opponents of the plan.
State Rep. Mike Redondo, R-Miami, chair of the House Redistricting Select Committee, laid out a timeline that has clashed with what Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, are seeking.
Redondo wants the House to complete its work during the regular session that begins next month and ends in mid-March, while DeSantis and Albritton want to hold a special session next spring, Politico reported.
"It would be irresponsible to delay the creation and passage of a new map, especially until after session," Redondo told Politico. "It would also be irresponsible to any who are called to civil service, and most importantly it would be irresponsible to the citizens of Florida."
Florida Republicans launched their redistricting effort the same day the U.S. Supreme Court granted Texas' emergency request to block a three-judge federal district court ruling that barred its newly redrawn map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
Texas' new congressional map could give Republicans up to five additional seats in Congress.
Last month, California voters approved a proposition allowing the state to redraw its congressional map, which could net Democrats up to five additional seats.
Florida's attempts to redistrict could be hampered by disputes between DeSantis and House Republicans over the past year. They may also face constraints under state laws that prohibit redrawing a congressional map for partisan gain.
House Republicans say they are moving ahead with redistricting because of a state Supreme Court ruling that upheld a map giving Republicans a 20–8 edge, Politico reported.
"Our work as a committee and a legislative body is not directed by the work of other states or partisan gamesmanship," Redondo told Politico.
Albritton told state senators there is "no ongoing work regarding potential mid-decade redistricting taking place in the Senate at this time," Politico reported. DeSantis would prefer to wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether race can be considered when drawing congressional maps.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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