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When to start the redistricting process? Florida House, Senate and DeSantis not on the same page

Man with gray hair and beard wearing a dark suit jacket and sitting at a table to the left with microphones in front of him
Douglas Soule
/
WUSF
Senate President Ben Albritton took questions from the media at the Florida Capitol on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.

Florida House supporters of redistricting want to do it during the legislative session, which begins in mid-January. But the Senate president and Gov. Ron DeSantis want to wait for a court decision.

Florida leaders can't agree on when to start the redistricting process.

Those in the House pushing for a change in Florida's congressional map say it should be done during the legislative session, which starts in mid-January and ends in mid-March.

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants a spring special session to do it. Talking to reporters on Monday, Senate President Ben Albritton doubled down on also wanting to wait.

"If you've seen anything out of the Senate, we move quite slowly, but our goal is just to be methodical and measured," he said. "It makes sense to me to wait, because it provides more clarity to the map-drawing process as a whole."

ALSO READ: Most Floridians are against a mid-decade redistricting, poll finds

He said there's currently no redistricting work going on in the Senate.

Albritton said he would rather hold off until the U.S. Supreme Court decides a Louisiana redistricting case. It could change how race factors into drawing political boundaries.

Republican Rep. Mike Redondo of Miami, chair of the House redistricting committee, said last week it's "irresponsible" to wait with the 2026 election so close.

But Albritton said the Legislature could push back certain deadlines, like when candidates can formally enter a race.

Democrats and voting rights groups accuse Florida leaders of only wanting to redraw the maps to benefit Republicans during the midterms.

If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.

This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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Tallahassee can feel far away — especially for anyone who’s driven on a congested Florida interstate. But for me, it’s home.