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Redistricting

Redistricting maps are shuffling Florida’s political landscape

 

By pitting dozens of incumbents against each other, the new map of the Florida House has set off political dominoes.

Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

For the last year, Broward Democratic Rep. Marty Kiar planned to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Nan Rich of Weston.

But when the Senate released its redistricting maps in November, the Davie lawmaker was faced with a choice: run in a district based primarily in Palm Beach County, stay in his safe House district for two more years, or run in an open county commission district.

He chose to stay home and run for county commission. “It’s a nice time to be with my two-and-a-half-year-old, my new baby and my wife,’’ Kiar said, adding, “I’ve always wanted to serve for local office.”

Kiar is among a growing list of legislators deciding to move to new posts as Florida lawmakers complete redistricting maps under new rules imposed by two constitutional amendments.

The Republican-dominated House voted 80-39 along party lines Thursday to give preliminary approval to three redistricting maps drawn according to the new anti-gerrymandering standards of the Fair Districts amendments approved by voters.

The amendments prohibit lawmakers — for the first time in Florida history — from drawing the districts with any intent to protect incumbents or political parties, and the results have shaken up the political landscape from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and from St. Petersburg to Miami.

The disruption is most apparent in the House, where 38 of the chamber’s 120 incumbents are been drawn into districts with another member. The Senate and congressional maps, by contrast, don’t appear to end the political careers of any incumbents.

Among those affected by the shakeup:

•  Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, who has two years left on his term, is now considering running for an open seat on the Broward County Commission rather than challenge Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, had hoped to run for Congress, but is now considering running for the New Port Richey House seat he once held.

•  Rep. Larry Ahern, R-St. Petersburg, is considering moving to a neighboring district to avoid being matched up with two other St. Petersburg legislators, Rick Kriseman and Jim Frishe. Kriseman, a Democrat, is considering running for St. Petersburg mayor.

Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, is drawn into the same district as Rep. Scott Dorworth, R-Lake Mary, and has decided to rent an apartment in a neighboring district and run there.

Jenne, the fourth most senior member of the DemoDemocratic whip for five years, was not surprised, he said, when House Republican leaders drew him out of his current district.

The district Jenne has held went from including 140,000 people he has served for five years to 1,500 and was shifted from mostly Broward County to one that is 60 percent in Miami-Dade.

As the House took its first vote on the proposed redistricting maps on Thursday, Redistricting Chairman Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said the match-ups are proof that legislators draw the maps with no attempt to protect political parties or incumbents.

“At no point did we let someone’s address impact a decision that was made,’’ Weatherford said.

But in hours of rigorous debate on Thursday, doubtful Democrats grilled Weatherford. They asked him if members knew they would be pitted against each other and when they learned of their fate.

Weatherford insisted that the addresses of members was never entered into the record, but acknowledged that some members were notified before the maps were made public that they would be pitted against another lawmaker.

By contrast, Kiar said, the Senate maps don’t appear to be as blind to incumbency protection.

“I think the Senate maps are probably going to change a whole lot,’’ he said. “This was an initial shot to protect every single incumbent Democrat and Republican and I think once the courts take a look at that they will ask them to draw them more fairly.’’

Republicans were not spared from the House’s political dominoes either.

Rep. Mike Weinstein of Jacksonville, for example, said he expects to be facing off against fellow Republican Rep. Charles McBurney, also of Jacksonville.

“I always thought there would be some sort of conflict at the end,’’ he said.

Jenne said he was angry at first when he saw the maps but now has accepted his fate. “There’s two things that make Tallahassee go round — one is money the other is partisanship. This bill is 100 percent partisanship,’’ he said. “It’s been kind of a freeing experience because I’ve just been able to let it rip for the last month.’’

Mary Ellen Klas can

be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com and on Twitter@MaryEllenKlas

and on Twitter@MaryEllenKlas
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