Tallahassee, FL - Governor Ron DeSantis is writing to the state Supreme Court and asking about the legality of drastically changing a congressional district in North Florida.
In his letter addressed to the Supreme Court, DeSantis asked justices to weigh in on whether or not redistricting standards require Congressional District 5—represented by Al Lawson—to remain as it has been drawn. The district in question encompasses a 200 mile stretch between Tallahassee and Jacksonville and includes eight counties.
DeSantis mainly focused on the non-diminishment standard of the Florida Constitution, which prevents districts from being drawn in a way that limits the ability of minority voters to elect the candidates they choose.
“Specifically, I ask whether the Florida Constitution's non-diminishment standard requires that congressional districts be drawn to connect minority populations from distant and distinct geographic areas if doing so would provide the assembled minority group sufficient voting strength—although not a majority of the proposed district—to elect a candidate of its choice,” wrote DeSantis.
In response to the letter, Lawson issued a statement and called DeSantis’ proposal an attack on black voters, and even hinted at the possibility of a future court battle on the issue.
“While disappointing, Ron DeSantis’s continued assault on the rights of Black and minority voters is not a surprise. I hope that the Florida Supreme Court chooses to respect our separation of powers, rises above politics, and avoids wading into this partisan dispute,” wrote Lawson. “Ron DeSantis’s effort to disenfranchise every minority voter north of Orlando is an act that will not go without a fight.”
But Lawson’s historically black district isn’t the only one at stake, so is Congressional District 10, currently represented by Val Demings. According to MCI Maps—a website that provides analysis on politics and election mapping—the most recently approved version of Florida’s redistricting map includes both districts. Meanwhile another map shows that DeSantis’ plan would erase both districts completely.
In a letter to the House congressional redistricting subcommittee, committee Chairman Rep. Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island) said they wouldn’t move forward with their redistricting maps until the court rules on the subject.
“It is not in our interest to proceed until such a time that the court indicates whether it will provide additional guidance,” wrote Sirois.
Meanwhile, House Redistricting Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) defended the proposed map, saying it would reduce the number of municipalities split by districts almost in half, all while maintaining 30 protected minority districts.
However, a number of voices—including the state’s Democrats and the League of Women Voters of Florida—spoke out against the proposed map and said it fails to address increases in minority populations that have since spread beyond those protected districts.
Since DeSantis submitted his proposals, some outlets, including AP, have pointed out that it’s rather strange a governor submitted a redistricting proposal. Analysis from Rutgers University says Florida is among the states in the union where governors have slightly less than average redistricting powers because they really have no role to play in the process. Governors can, however, veto redistricting maps.
