[Tallahassee, FL] With critical votes approaching in the once-a-decade redistricting process, House lawmakers listened Thursday to a series of presentations on a variety of maps that could form the basis for future districts in their own chamber and Congress.
But few questions were asked, and those that were largely avoided any mention of politics or incumbency, what appears to be the latest in a series of overt steps to convey at the least the message that lawmakers are following the “Fair Districts” Florida redistricting amendments approved by voters last year, and upheld by a judge in September.
Those amendments, aimed at cutting back on gerrymandering to help political parties and incumbents in the line-drawing process, have so far hovered over every committee meeting about crafting the lines. And legislative leaders say they have sent a clear message to the members of the panels now trying to decide how to reshape Florida’s political future.
“We’re blessed in one regard, and that is that our members are very aware of the amendments that took place last year,” said Rep. Chris Dorworth, a Lake Mary Republican (District 34) who chairs the Florida redistricting subcommittee redrawing House districts. ” … Ten years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, there was a certain liberty in designing seats that does not exist anymore.”
Dorworth’s committee studied five maps for House districts, all of which would slightly cut back on the number of seats that were carried by Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2010, though those districts would remain a strong majority of the seats in the Florida House. But the maps would also draw together several incumbents, including Republicans.
Photo: Lance Turner/latuphoto.com for Sunshine Slate
Rep. Dorworth chairs the subcommittee redrawing House districts
“That means that many of us are not going to live in the seats we had before and just because you feel like you should, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s going to be the case,” Dorworth said.
All of the House maps would also create additional seats with a good chance of electing minority candidates. For example, one House map would also create three new minority seats by carving out an “access” district in Orange County with a black voting-age population of more than 40%; a Palm Beach County seat with a Hispanic majority; and the division of what used to be a single Hispanic majority seat in Osceola and Orange counties.
Rep. Mack Bernard (D-84/West Palm Beach) said members aren’t necessarily being overly cautious about discussing the maps.
“Members are just trying to speak along [with] what’s in the constitution of the state of Florida,” Bernard said, adding that members weren’t “scared or afraid.”
There were some questions. Bernard, for example, asked about the lack of a Hispanic majority seat located entirely in Broward County, where about a quarter of the 1.7 million residents are Latinos. House staff members said they would review the idea, but noted that parts of the county are needed to help shore up Hispanic seats that start in Miami-Dade County.
Some conversations about the maps have reportedly taken place. The Senate Reapportionment Committee said earlier this week that it had received a tentative House proposal for congressional districts despite the subcommittee dealing with that issue having not formally pared a set of seven proposals into the three it is required to send the full House Redistricting Committee, much less one.
But even what form of Florida redistricting map was being discussed isn’t clear. Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee Co-Chair Doug Holder (R-70/Sarasota), said he wasn’t involved in those conversations.
“We have narrowed down all of the ideas into the seven maps that we displayed today, and we will narrow those seven into three and then submit those to the main committee,” he said.
By: Brandon Larrabee/The News Service of Florida
Lead image includes official House photos by Mark Foley. Rep. Dorworth photo by: Lance Turner/latuphoto.com for Sunshine Slate
Florida redistricting
