Florida House Approves New Map For Congressional Districts

A state Senate panel on Monday approved a change to Florida’s congressional districts affecting Hillsborough County – the same day the full House of Representatives discussed a base map that doesn’t include the change.

Many Democrats voted against the map, even after defending the Supreme Court’s opinion forcing it to be redrawn.

The new map affects all of Florida’s 27 congressional districts to some extent, though some districts will be less recognizable than others.

State Rep. John Wood, R-Winter Haven, said the court’s order that new congressional districts be drawn was one “many observers say [is] one of the worst cases of judicial activism or judicial law to ever come out of that august body”. Gwen Graham and Dan Webster would be able to hold on to their seats due to a dramatic change in the Democratic-Republican make-up of their districts. They said the ruling went far beyond the judiciary’s traditional role.

In South Florida, districts 21 and 22 previously ran parallel to each other vertically along the eastern side of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

“Our constitutions are under attack”.

That drew a rejoinder from Rep. Javier Jose Rodriguez, a Miami Democrat who voted for the plan. “We are here because the Legislature has overstepped and violated the Constitution”. But they’re working on plans to fix it.

Oliva, introducing his base-map bill, told House members he initially felt “indignation” when reading the Supreme Court’s opinion.

House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican, said his chamber could still consider amendments to its version and has plenty of time to deliberate whatever map the Senate sends over. Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican and former Senate president. The proposal is now slated for a Senate floor debate on Wednesday. But the ripple effects of the proposal would also cascade through Central Florida and recast the one district that would have been completely contained in Orange County.

Some House Republicans have predicted that the federal court may ultimately rule the new map violates the U.S. Constitution, a challenge U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown has filed about her drastically revamped District 5 in North Florida.

Translation there? The Supreme Court better watch its back, because Oliva and company are willing to push legislation reigning in the Court’s authority. “And I think that we’re acting responsibly in the House in doing that. The nerve!” The Senate committee approved his map Monday. Meanwhile, the Senate’s redistricting committee met to consider a number of alternative proposals.

“Bring it forward. We’re here”, Bradley said.