TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — As the fight to control Congress in 2024 begins, a legal fight in Florida could play a role in the outcome. That’s as the courts narrow the case against the state’s new congressional districts, potentially opening up a pathway for a Democrat to return to Florida’s northern district.
Late Friday, the battle over the state’s congressional districts was minimized. The lawsuit now focuses on one district rather than the entire state. The plaintiffs agreed to narrow the scope of their suit to just Al Lawson’s former district that got chopped up in Northern Florida.
“This is a step in the right direction and an admission that is pretty groundbreaking and historical – given the history of redistricting in the state of Florida,” Equal Ground founder Jasmine Burney-Clark said.
Black voting rights advocates like Burney-Clark say this latest compromise allows them to avoid a trial and potentially restore a minority-controlled voting district before the 2024 election.
“We needed to fight to maintain Black representation, not to diminish or eliminate it,” Burney-Clark said.
In 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s GOP majority dismantled the district, deeming it gerrymandered.
“I think this is a whole negotiation and compromise to do a win-win for both,” Political science professor Tara Newsom said. “I definitely think that DeSantis in a way is protecting himself by not opening up the entirety and just deciding this one piece of the litigation.”
8 On Your Side asked DeSantis’ office to comment on this latest legal development. They told us any comments can be found in the legal filings for the case. However, we’ve yet to see any big revelations in those thus far.
Hearings for this case are scheduled for the coming weeks, but this isn’t the only case against Florida’s congressional maps. There’s a separate lawsuit in federal court also underway that covers all of the state’s congressional districts.