Many states have been involved in the process of redrawing the lines for their House congressional districts as a result of the last census. Florida is no exception and actually will add a congressional seat making their total 28. This is the result of rapid population growth as well as population shifts elsewhere in the country.
The Florida legislature originally drew two potential maps and sent them to the governor for his signature. He vetoed them based on the opinion of attorneys in the governor’s office that such maps were unconstitutional. Specifically, Florida law states that district lines cannot be “drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party.” This law is supported by nearly two-thirds of Florida voters.
This is not what happens in many other states. Lines are often drawn to favor an incumbent or to dis-favor one. Both parties do it. South Carolina’s 6th congressional district is one such example of many across the country.
Some extreme gerrymandering was done to create a “safe” district for Democrat Jim Clyburn. It was also done to avoid scrutiny from the DOJ that minority candidates were being discriminated against.
Such extreme gerrymandering is not good for the country as a whole. “Safe” districts create situations where the representative becomes less responsive to the needs of his/her constituencies. The representative becomes more beholding to the party leaders. As fewer and fewer districts are considered competitive, more polarization of positions takes place. This further divides the country along partisan lines and enhances political divisions.
Governor DeSantis’ office offered its own map which eliminated most of the weird contortions seen in many state district maps.
Hat Tip…CTH
The result was a map which contains little of the extreme gerrymandering that was present previously. It appears to create 20 Republican-leaning districts and 8 Democrat-leaning districts. The current make-up of Florida’s delegation is 16 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
The map creates ten districts that, based on the results of the 2020 election, should be considered competitive. That’s more than the current maps.
The Democrats were not happy. Cries of racism were brought forth because at least one district currently held by a black Democrat would now be in a competitive district. And with Biden’s poll numbers in free fall, such competitive districts are likely to be redder by November.
Senate Reapportionment Chairman Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, found the plan released Wednesday by the governor’s office more than acceptable.
“After thoroughly reviewing the governor’s submission and a discussion with our legal counsel, I have determined that the governor’s map reflects standards the Senate can support,” Rodrigues wrote in a memo to senators.
The plan is expected to pass during a special session of the legislature. This represents a strong rebuke to the special interests. Big Media is apoplectic with “journalists” calling the plan “highly partisan.” Democratic lawsuits are sure to follow.
Sundance notes:
The map appears solid from my perspective and based on sound -easily defensible- districting that represents the people within the state. There are no weird contortions and strange boundaries in an effort to shape the congressional outcome. The population boundaries are pretty straightforward.
I think the apoplexy from the moonbat wing of the Democrat machine is because (a) they know the map will easily pass legal scrutiny, and (b) Democrats are losing support within the state of Florida with each passing day.
The Democrat party nuttery is not going over well with most Floridians. Latinos have abandoned the DNC social agenda in record numbers, and the overlay of the Biden inflation economy is a problem that looms too heavy. The Florida 2022 vote will be a rebuke of Democrats on a scale that will likely be historic.
Ever since Governor DeSantis finally dealt with the Broward County vote manipulation and regional fraud, the Democrats have been losing. Democrats in Florida are a sad and angry bunch, with no one except the deep blue media to console them.
Free and fair elections are the lifeblood of liberty. The next challenge for DeSantis is to ensure that the votes are counted correctly.