TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged Tuesday that next week’s special session on mid-decade redistricting may not kick off on its scheduled April 20 start date — but he contended the Legislature will pass a new map on congressional redistricting in the next “couple of weeks.”
“It’s possible you could do a little tweak, but you can’t really push it very far,” said the Republican governor on the session’s timing during a bill signing ceremony held near the Tallahassee airport.
DeSantis sidestepped questions, however, on whether he would give lawmakers a proposed map to work with once the session does begin — a stance that adds uncertainty as to how and when Florida will join other states that have rushed to redraw their congressional maps as part of an effort to tilt midterm control of the House.
The GOP-controlled state House and Senate have not spent any time working on their own proposals, instead waiting for the DeSantis administration to step forward with a map — a move that could help inoculate the Legislature from any potential lawsuits. Neither chamber has scheduled any meetings yet for next week.
DeSantis did go out of his way to swat down any connection to a schedule change tied to the outcome of a referendum in Virginia. Voters in that state will decide next Tuesday — two days into Florida’s planned special session — whether to approve a proposal that could net Democrats up to four seats. Polls have suggested the vote could be tight, and a defeat would reduce pressure on Republicans to act.
“I have no idea what the relevance of Virginia is to anything we’re doing,” said DeSantis, who added that a potential reason for a slight delay is the ongoing budget stalemate between Florida’s House and Senate.
DeSantis made his comments one day after Republican Rep. Byron Donalds said during a South Florida event that Republicans in Florida should consider moving ahead to counter what may happen in Virginia. But Florida’s constitution prohibits redistricting for partisan gain, and any acknowledgment that the state is acting to counter other states could be used in any future litigation.
Florida has been seen as the final redistricting hope for Republicans after months of a tit-for-tat frenzy that has sparked referendums and legislative action in multiple blue and red states.
Some GOP consultants early on talked about picking up anywhere from three to five Sunshine State seats, but that enthusiasm has cooled as the political environment has proved more challenging for Republicans. Some GOP members of Congress from Florida are fretting that a new map could cost them seats.
DeSantis first started calling for a special session last summer, predicating the move on a looming ruling out of the U.S. Supreme Court that could bar states from considering the racial makeup of voting populations when drawing up districts. In January, DeSantis ordered the April special session to start April 20 and run through April 24.
But that ruling has yet to come as the scheduled start of the special session draws closer. Earlier this month, DeSantis said it was still appropriate to move ahead even if the court has not ruled by the time legislators meet.
Back in 2022, DeSantis vetoed a congressional map first proposed by the Legislature and muscled through the current configuration that garnered Republicans a 20-8 edge.
Interviews with several legislators from both parties in the past two weeks have made it clear they are anticipating that DeSantis could make the first move once again.
“We’re not talking about maps, I don’t know if there is one,” said state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican and chair of the powerful Rules Committee that would likely review any map prior to a final Senate vote. “I’m in the same boat of wait and see like everyone else.”
State Sen. Don Gaetz, a Panhandle Republican who chaired the Senate redistricting committee back in 2012, said he is not aware of any proposed maps either.
“Of course if the governor has a proposal and accompanying rationale I’d appreciate the opportunity to review it as soon as practical within the call of the special session,” Gaetz said in a text message. “To get my support any proposal will have to be constitutional.”
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