Florida Republicans pass DeSantis-backed gerrymandered congressional maps

Florida Republicans approved a new congressional map Wednesday, designed to lock in GOP power in Washington and hand their party as many as 4 additional U.S. House seats.

The Florida Legislature passed the mid-decade redraw during a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, advancing a plan that could shift the state’s congressional delegation from a 20-8 Republican advantage to as much as 24-4, according to the Associated Press. The House approved the map 83-28, and the Senate followed 21-17, despite objections from Democrats, voting rights advocates, and several Republicans who broke with their party.

The proposal redraws districts in Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and South Florida, weakening several Democratic-held seats and further diluting Black voting power in parts of the state, critics say. One of the most controversial changes would eliminate a majority-Black district and split Democratic-leaning communities into safer Republican territory, according to the AP.

Related: Florida Republicans pass bill empowering Ron DeSantis to oust local officials who support LGBTQ+ Pride

The vote came the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais, making it harder to challenge maps that dilute Black political power under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Justice Elena Kagan warned in dissent that the ruling renders Section 2 “almost a dead letter.”

Equality Florida condemned the map, arguing that Florida’s Constitution still provides stronger protections through the Fair Districts Amendments, voter-approved rules that ban partisan gerrymandering.

“This map is illegal, unconstitutional, and a blatant partisan power grab,” Jon Harris Maurer, the organization’s general counsel and public policy director, said in a statement. “It will silence voters, especially Black and brown Floridians, LGBTQ Floridians, young people, and others whose representation is already too often diminished.”

Maurer said the special session was not about housing or insurance costs but about “rigging a system” before the 2026 midterms.

The Florida fight comes as redistricting battles intensify nationwide. Last week, Virginia voters approved a Democratic-backed referendum that would have redrawn the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats in 10 of its 11 House districts, potentially flipping four Republican-held seats. A Tazewell County judge blocked certification, and the Supreme Court of Virginia declined to allow the results to take effect pending litigation.

“When leaders ignore the Constitution,” Maurer said, “the courts become the next line of defense.”