US Rep. Webster complains to Fla. Legislature about redistricting suggestions

A spokesman for Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, said she would file a lawsuit urging the court “to keep Congressional District 5’s boundaries as they are now”.

Some legislators, citing the lawsuits, don’t anticipate that lawmakers will make any large changes to the newly proposed map, which was drawn up by legislative staff and lawyers without any input by legislators.

The Florida Legislature has been ordered to redraw the state’s Congressional Districts by the Florida Supreme Court, which ruled previous maps had violated the constitution’s prohibition against gerrymandering to protect incumbents or political parties.

“They’re trying to stop African-Americans from having the opportunity to go into court”, Brown says.

Jolly’s district would lean Democratic if approved as now drawn; he’s now in the running for the U.S. Senate seat being left open by Republican Marco Rubio, who is seeking the presidency.

An earlier federal lawsuit Brown had joined in Orlando was withdrawn this week. Now, Republican Congressman Daniel Webster’s disputing the new shape of his district.

While Webster’s district wasn’t singled out, it seems to be collateral damage.

Webster is the only member of Congress to make the trip to Tallahassee for the state Legislature’s special session.

Rep. Corrine Brown will not let her famously-winding congressional district change without a fight.

Correction 8/11/2015: an earlier version of this story reported the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling came down in June instead of July. Her current district now consists of 48 percent black registered voters.

Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican in charge of the Senate committee drawing the new map, insisted that there will be ample chance for legislators to suggest changes as long as they can justify them legally.

In speeches laced with resentment, lawmakers accused the court of “embedding” a map drawn by Democratic “partisan operatives” in their decision and questioned the court’s respect for the separation of powers between the two branches of government.

That could bring an end to Webster’s political career in Florida, which spans three decades and includes a stint as Florida House speaker.

Brown told a few stories about the history of structural racism in Florida, such as one about how “Jackie Robinson couldn’t live on Sanford” and “if he had stayed in Sanford, they would have killed him”, a reference to the town’s sundown laws.

“It’s up to the Legislature to draw the map”, said Galvano, who represents part of Hillsborough County.

Several legislators commended the staff for balancing the hard issues, while some lamented the fact that they had no input so far.

“I think you’ve heard from the members”, he said. A session starting in October will lead to an overhaul of state Senate districts under a settlement between the Legislature and voting-rights organizations, like the League of Women Voters, that have criticized the redistricting process.

We asked Brown if she had talked to the Duval Legislative Delegation, and she laughed ruefully before answering.