New congressional maps ignore partisan gerrymandering ban
By Sam Stockbridge
April 28, 2026 at 8:50 PM EDT
Florida lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off a four day special session on redistricting in Tallahassee.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed maps that would create Republican advantages in 24 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts, far outstripping the party’s support in recent statewide elections. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of the state’s 28 seats.
Prior to the special session, DeSantis denied that the new maps were motivated by partisan politics, instead pointing to recent population growth and pending cases that could change the legal landscape.
On Tuesday, Republican leaders affirmed that the governor’s proposal ignores the state’s existing constitutional bans on partisan gerrymandering, as well as its existing protections for districts that account for race.
Florida voters codified those protections in the state constitution in 2010, overwhelmingly voting to adopt the Fair Districts Amendments.
The new maps assume that those amendments will soon be deemed unconstitutional once the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a pending case over provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
The high court has not yet rendered a decision on that case, Louisiana v. Callais. But if the court strikes down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, it would remove the legal foundation for the state’s protections for existing “majority minority” districts.
Further, if the racial protections in the FDAs are eliminated, their partisan protections would be nullified, too, the governor argued in a legal memo with the new maps.
Naples Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who serves on the House Select Committee on Redistricting, recognized that the maps are not based on settled law.
“We made a decision in 2022 that was not based on prior legal guidance, but was upheld recently by the Florida Supreme Court,” Persons-Mulicka said in a press conference on Tuesday. “We feel confident again in moving forward with the maps presented by the governor's office.”
She’s referring to the state supreme court’s ruling last summer that the current redistricting maps did not violate the Fair Districting Amendments’s protections for a majority Black district in North Florida.
House Republicans seemed receptive to the proposed maps, calling the governor’s reasoning “persuasive.”
Persons-Mulicka denied that partisan gain was a factor in the new maps.
“We haven't reviewed political performance of any of the districts,” she said. “You will not see [a] color coded map presented in committee today. We have been presented a map with map details, and we will be hearing from representatives from the governor's office today.”
DeSantis shared the new maps with Fox News on Monday colored red and blue according to party advantage.
House leadership expects to hold a vote on the new maps by the end of Wednesday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed maps that would create Republican advantages in 24 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts, far outstripping the party’s support in recent statewide elections. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of the state’s 28 seats.
Prior to the special session, DeSantis denied that the new maps were motivated by partisan politics, instead pointing to recent population growth and pending cases that could change the legal landscape.
On Tuesday, Republican leaders affirmed that the governor’s proposal ignores the state’s existing constitutional bans on partisan gerrymandering, as well as its existing protections for districts that account for race.
Florida voters codified those protections in the state constitution in 2010, overwhelmingly voting to adopt the Fair Districts Amendments.
The new maps assume that those amendments will soon be deemed unconstitutional once the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a pending case over provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
The high court has not yet rendered a decision on that case, Louisiana v. Callais. But if the court strikes down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, it would remove the legal foundation for the state’s protections for existing “majority minority” districts.
Further, if the racial protections in the FDAs are eliminated, their partisan protections would be nullified, too, the governor argued in a legal memo with the new maps.
Naples Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who serves on the House Select Committee on Redistricting, recognized that the maps are not based on settled law.
“We made a decision in 2022 that was not based on prior legal guidance, but was upheld recently by the Florida Supreme Court,” Persons-Mulicka said in a press conference on Tuesday. “We feel confident again in moving forward with the maps presented by the governor's office.”
She’s referring to the state supreme court’s ruling last summer that the current redistricting maps did not violate the Fair Districting Amendments’s protections for a majority Black district in North Florida.
House Republicans seemed receptive to the proposed maps, calling the governor’s reasoning “persuasive.”
Persons-Mulicka denied that partisan gain was a factor in the new maps.
“We haven't reviewed political performance of any of the districts,” she said. “You will not see [a] color coded map presented in committee today. We have been presented a map with map details, and we will be hearing from representatives from the governor's office today.”
DeSantis shared the new maps with Fox News on Monday colored red and blue according to party advantage.
House leadership expects to hold a vote on the new maps by the end of Wednesday.