Florida state senators had some bipartisan support on new congressional district boundaries, but Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has offered his own version in opposition to the proposal, suggesting his is more in line with state and federal redistricting rules.
"We have submitted an alternative proposal, which we can support, that adheres to federal and state requirements, while working to increase district compactness, minimize county splits where feasible, and protect minority voting populations," DeSantis' general counsel Ryan Newman told The Hill in a statement.
"Because the governor must approve any congressional map passed by the legislature, we wanted to provide our proposal as soon as possible and in a transparent manner."
DeSantis' map would potentially give Republicans 17 of 28 seats in the state's Congress for the next decade, ensuring eight seats for Democrats and leaving three up for grabs, according to the report.
The Senate proposal, which passed 31-4 by vote (five members abstaining), would leave six districts competitive, eight favoring Democrats, and 14 favoring Republicans.
Republicans currently hold 24 of 40 state Senate seats.
Lawsuits are expected to weigh in on the battle of district lines, according to The Hill.
"What his map was, at the last minute, we didn't know," Democrat state Sen. Linda Stewart told The Hill. "He just sent this map over and wanted us to take it up
"I don't know what authority he had to do that, but I can tell you he only had, I don't know if it was 72 hours or some limited time for a senator to pick up his map, and nobody did."
The areas of Orlando, Tampa, and Miami are those most different between the maps, but DeSantis' proposal targets the Democrat district from Tallahassee to Jacksonville along the Georgia border, which is currently represented by Democrat Rep. Al Lawson, according to the report.
DeSantis backers note that district was an unconstitutional gerrymander because of its stretch so far east and west between two north Florida population centers.
"The governor injecting himself into this I think adds greater uncertainty," said University of Florida's redistricting expert Michael McDonald, who has clashed with DeSantis, according to The Hill. "If DeSantis wants to pick a fight with the legislature, we could see a fight, because it looks like legislative leadership in the Senate didn't want to go along with the governor on this plan."
The state Supreme Court might have to weigh a 2010 constitutional amendment that sought to limit partisan influence in redistricting.
"We don't really know to what degree that Republican court is going to tolerate any hanky panky the districts will have," McDonald told The Hill.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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