DeSantis says he’ll quickly sign new congressional district map
.JPG "As legislators prepare to return to the Florida Capitol for a special session on redistricting, Gov. Ron DeSantis submitted a map on Wednesday, April 13, that would create 20 Republican districts in Florida, four more than currently, and eight Democratic districts. The plan also reduces the number of districts held by Black representatives from four to two.")
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he will quickly sign the new congressional district map his office put before state legislators this week.
Appearing at a groundbreaking for an interstate interchange in Ormond Beach, DeSantis replied that he will sign the controversial legislation (HB 1D) “as soon as I get it.”
“This is something that we’ve been fighting for a number of years … the fact that we’ve had so much population growth and the districts are really not representative of where Florida is today versus four years ago,” DeSantis said while at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach. “So we had justification.“
The Florida House and Senate approved the major mid-decade redrawing of the state’s 28 congressional districts Wednesday, a move that could help Republicans retain control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections.
Democrats and voting rights groups have also announced plans to contest the maps in court once signed.
The House voted 83-28 on the changes expected to increase Republican representation in the Florida congressional delegation that currently stands at 20-8.
The Senate voted 21-17, with four Republicans — Sens. Alexis Calatayud of Miami, Ileana Garcia of Miami, Erin Grall of Vero Beach and Jennifer Bradley of Fleming Island — joining 12 Democrats and one no party affiliation senator voting against the proposal.
The bill, though, hasn’t been formally transmitted to his desk.