Florida OKs Map With 4 More GOP-Leaning Seats

The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans' advantage in the state. The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the same day that the Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The AP reports the decision could make it harder for Democrats to challenge Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in ways that limit the influence of nonwhite voters.

DeSantis' map could increase Republicans' advantage in Florida's House delegation to 24 to 4, up from the current split of 20 to 8. The potential four-seat gain is the same as what Virginia Democrats expect from a recent redistricting referendum, which is being challenged in state court there. NBC News notes Florida is now the eighth state to carry out mid-decade redistricting in the 2026 election cycle, and its new districts are certain to face lawsuits as well, especially because the state constitution prohibits redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes.

DeSantis and his aides believe those provisions will not be a legal barrier because they have been weakened previously by the Florida Supreme Court and again by Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling. But NPR reports that with Florida's August primary looming and courts generally hesitant to upend election rules close to voting, the "new map may be locked in for the midterms." NBC News adds DeSantis has appointed six of the seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court that will likely hear it.

The new map reshapes districts in Democratic areas around Orlando, the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and in south Florida around Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. The changes could cost Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, among others, their seats. DeSantis and his aides said before and during the session that new map is necessary to account for population growth in suburban and exurban areas since the 2020 census and to ensure Florida has a "race-neutral" congressional plan.