TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida redistricting plan signed into law Friday by Governor Ron DeSantis is already drawing legal challenges from groups who say the plan violates the state’s constitution by minimizing the impact of Black voters, among other concerns.
DeSantis had previously vetoed the versions approved by the legislature during the main 2022 legislative session, which ended in March. After the veto, DeSantis announced his call for a special session to deal with the maps.
Friday, the League of Women voters announced a new lawsuit to stop the plan, saying the map violates a 2010 “Fair Districts” amendment to the Florida Constitution.
“The League and the other plaintiffs have chosen to not stand by while a rogue governor and a complicit state Legislature make a mockery of Florida’s Constitution and try to silence the votes and voices of hundreds of thousands of Black voters,” said Cecile Scoon, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
While the new map faces legal challenges, it is unlikely any challenge in the court system will stop the maps from being used in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The governor put forth a map that diminishes Black representation in congress by nearly 50 percent,” said Fentrice Driskell, a Democratic Representative for District 63, speaking on a Zoom call with other concerned democrats.
