Florida legislature passes new redistricting plan

The state Senate on Wednesday voted 21-17, mostly along party lines, to approve new U.S. congressional districts for use in future elections. The redrawn map could net Florida Republicans up to four House seats. They currently hold 20 out of 28 districts in the state. The plan is expected to face legal challenges from its opponents.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office drew the new map, presenting it to the Florida legislature Monday during a special session. The midcycle redistricting plan addressed rapid population growth and removed distortions caused by previous race-based gerrymandering, his office said. Race was not considered when drawing the new map, his office said. DeSantis on Thursday highlighted Florida’s current District 20, which has two thin extending arms including parts of West Palm Beach and Coral Springs, as an example of race-based distortions he wanted to remove. He argued the district was unconstitutional under the Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision against race-based gerrymandering in Louisiana v. Callais.

What legal challenges might the plan face? The Sunshine State’s constitution requires race to be taken into account when drawing districts, a provision DeSantis argues is invalidated following the Supreme Court’s Louisiana decision.

Florida law also prohibits lawmakers from intentionally favoring a political party or incumbent when drawing new maps, though there’s some debate over whether the language still applies following changes in federal law. DeSantis’ messaging on the new map did not include talk of favoring Republicans, but the governor first brought up the initiative after openly partisan redistricting efforts in Texas, California, and other states.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the Supreme Court’s decision to throw out the Louisiana congressional map.