Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has unveiled a new congressional redistricting map that could deliver four additional U.S. House seats to Republicans. The proposal comes amid a national redistricting push, with lawmakers set to consider it in a special session starting Tuesday. The map aims to reflect recent demographic shifts in the state, according to DeSantis.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis released a proposed congressional map on Monday, which his office confirmed would create 24 Republican-leaning districts and four Democratic-leaning ones if approved. Currently, Florida's 28 House seats are held by 20 Republicans, seven Democrats and one vacancy following a Democratic resignation. DeSantis told Fox News, 'Our new map for 2026 makes good on my promise to conduct mid-decade redistricting, and it more fairly represents the makeup of Florida today.' He called a special legislative session starting Tuesday, delayed from an original April 20 start, to vote on the plan alongside other issues like school vaccine requirements and AI regulations. The map would reshape some safe Republican seats into more competitive ones, raising concerns among party members after recent special election losses, including one near Mar-a-Lago. NPR's Ashley Lopez reported that University of South Florida professor Rob Mellen Jr. sees approval as a '50-50' proposition, noting lawmakers' wariness that it 'could come back to bite them.' Florida's 2010 constitutional amendment bans partisan gerrymandering, but DeSantis argues the changes address demographic shifts rather than partisan gain. Democrats, led by Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, called it 'unconstitutional gerrymandering.' Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power supported it, saying on Newsmax, 'When they draw compact districts, we're going to get a lot more Republicans here in Florida.' The effort ties into a mid-decade redistricting race initiated by President Trump, with states like Texas and California already adjusting maps. A pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act could influence outcomes, particularly regarding racial considerations in districting.
