Florida may not get more seats, but the Governor’s ready to draw new districts all the same.
Talking to friendly interviewer Mark Levin Saturday, Florida’s Governor said the Legislature would redistrict the Congressional map next year, regardless of whether or not the Donald Trump administration decides to “award” Florida another seat at some state’s expense.
“It’ll happen in the spring, and the legislature, I fully anticipate, will produce a revised congressional map, maybe with 29 seats, maybe with the current 28, maybe with the VRA district, maybe eliminating that.” Ron DeSantis said.
A concession that Florida may not get more representation constitutes a rhetorical retreat for DeSantis, who said he thought Florida could have as many as five more seats last month under maps he deemed “gypped” the state in favor of “blue states” that allegedly count “illegal aliens” as part of the metric.
But the narrowing of expectations does clarify the process ahead.
DeSantis previously argued a Florida Supreme Court ruling that upheld a congressional map his office drew and he signed in 2022 means Florida should take another look at South Florida districts to see if any jurisdictions were crafted with race as a motivating factor.
While Attorney General James Uthmeier will “press this issue” with the White House, it’s clear Florida moves forward even if the census is not reconsidered.
The state currently has a 20-8 Republican advantage in the Congressional delegation with a map his office drew and coerced the Legislature into voting up after he nixed its first work product. He previously credited that map with the current GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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