Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new set of congressional district maps into law on Monday, finalizing a redistricting effort poised to reshape Florida’s representation in Washington. The governor confirmed the move on social media with the caption “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” accompanied by an image of the approved maps.
The legislation followed a special session convened by DeSantis after lawmakers revised boundaries last week in response to recent federal legal developments. Florida’s action aligns with a U.S. Supreme Court decision involving Louisiana that invalidated certain race-based districting practices under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, prompting South states including Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee to reassess their congressional maps.
The new map is expected to eliminate districts held by Rep. Kathy Castor in Tampa and Rep. Darren Soto in Central Florida, while reducing the size of Rep. Maxwell Frost’s district. In South Florida, five Democratic-leaning districts are being consolidated into three, impacting Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel, and Frederica Wilson—along with the former district represented by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
Legal challenges are imminent as Democratic leaders in Florida plan to contest the map’s lines in court. The dispute centers on the interpretation of Florida’s state constitution. DeSantis’s legal team argues that provisions requiring race considerations in redistricting are unconstitutional per recent Supreme Court guidance, potentially invalidating other parts of the same constitutional amendment, including language prohibiting partisan gerrymandering. This amendment—approved by voters in 2010—is known as the Fair Districts provision.
Florida Democrats counter that the Supreme Court did not strike down core Voting Rights Act provisions and assert state constitutional protections remain intact. They maintain the prohibition on partisan gerrymandering continues to apply, stating: “In Florida, there is still a wall Republicans cannot get past: the Fair Districts amendment, written into our state constitution by voters.” The party accused DeSantis and allies of using the Supreme Court ruling as cover for an “illegal, partisan power grab.”
