On Wednesday, April 29, the Florida Legislature passed a redistricting plan mostly along partisan lines, creating four additional GOP-leaning House seats with a staggering 24-4 Republican advantage. The governor’s plan wipes out seats held by representatives like Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Governor DeSantis claims this is necessary to balance districts following population growth, yet there is no fresh census data to support such a claim. This move is a blatant attempt at unconstitutional gerrymandering that defies both the letter of the law and the will of the people.
I am firmly against this proposal because it is illegal. Florida’s Constitution is explicit: Drawing maps for partisan gain is prohibited. In 2010, 63% of Florida voters overwhelmingly approved of the Fair Districts Amendment, sending a clear, bipartisan message that district lines should not favor political parties or incumbents. Modern sentiment remains unchanged; an April Emerson College poll found that 56% of Florida voters believe redrawing these maps ahead of the midterm elections is a “bad idea.”Plaintiffs in recent lawsuits argue that the push to create a 24-4 Republican split is a clear violation of this amendment. They cite internal GOP communications and public statements by national leaders (including Trump) as evidence that the maps were designed specifically to help the Republican Party maintain a supermajority in the U.S. House.
The catalyst for this sudden urgency appears to be national political anxiety. Following public calls from the White House in May 2025 for Republican-led states to redistrict and secure more seats, the intent behind these maneuvers has been stripped of any “neutral” pretense. This isn’t about population shifts; it’s about a desperate push to consolidate power as projections show a high probability of Democrats winning the U.S. House majority.
What places Florida’s protections under such extreme strain is that this mid-cycle redraw falls entirely outside the normal decennial process. A redraw without census-driven necessity raises legitimate questions about intent, particularly when the projected effects point toward total one-party entrenchment. The stakes for Florida’s representation are immense for the U.S. House.
Currently, Republicans hold 20 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats. This was determined in the 2022 legislative cycle. A new district was added after the 2020 census to give Florida 28 districts. In the pre-2022 era there were 16 Republican seats and 11 Democratic seats. Mathematically, this plan is a farce. With a registered voter base of roughly 57% Republican and 42% Democrat, a fair map should yield approximately 16 Republican and 12 Democratic districts. There has been one gerrymandering effort on top of another.
However, this illegal scheme is a high-stakes gamble that may ultimately backfire. By stretching Republican voters thin to dismantle Democratic strongholds, the GOP is leaving itself vulnerable. Analysis suggests that No Party Affiliated (NPA) voters — who represent 25% of the electorate — are trending away from the current administration’s agenda amid rising gas prices and the affordability crisis. If NPAs swing toward Democratic candidates, the very districts Republicans tried to “fix” could flip.
In a healthy democracy, voters should pick their representatives — not the other way around. Florida voters spoke clearly in 2010, and that mandate remains binding. We must reject this rigged redistricting and uphold the Fair Districts protections that ensure our elections remain a true reflection of the people’s will.
Sandra McClinton, FDP State Committeewoman & CD 19 Chair, Former Chair of Lee County Democratic Executive Committee, Former 2nd VP of Democratic Women’s Club of Florida.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida’s mid-decade redistricting is an illegal power grab | Opinion
Reporting by Sandra McClinton / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
