Because of new census data, the state is required to re-draw Congressional districts every ten years.
The Florida special legislative session on Congressional redistricting began Tuesday at noon.
Gov. DeSantis vetoed Legislature’s map
During the regular session that ended last month, the Legislature passed a Congressional map with new lines, but it was vetoed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis proposed a map last week and Republicans in the Legislature have said they will support it, instead of suggesting their own maps.
League of Women Voters of Florida has concerns about the governor’s map
Joining us on WMNF’s Tuesday Café to try to make sense of redistricting in Florida is Shawn Bartelt, the 2nd Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
On the show, she called DeSantis’ map an “unprecedented autocratic move by our governor.”
North Florida district held by Rep. Al Lawson
Probably the most contentious issue of the session deals with race.
The DeSantis map is likely to cut the number of Florida’s Black members of Congress in half.
It gets rid of what the governor considers to be a “racially gerrymandered” district in North Florida, which is now held by Al Lawson.
