Special session for congressional maps set to convene

By David Beasley
The Center Square

Florida’s Legislature reconvenes Tuesday for a special called session that will consider new congressional maps.

Republicans could gain as many as four congressional seats in Florida if the redistricting plan is approved, spokeswoman Lauren Guagliardo of the House Democratic Caucus said at a news conference Monday.

“Ron DeSantis called the Legislature back to play politics and redraw maps,” Guagliardo said. “This middecade redistricting is an illegal gerrymander because Donald Trump asked for it. Middecade redistricting is not normal. The Sunshine State has seen population growth for at least a century. It has never caused us to redraw maps in the middle of the decade before.”

The House Redistricting Committee will consider the plan on Tuesday, the state’s Republican House Speaker, Daniel Perez, said in a memo on Monday.

“We currently anticipate consideration of the map by the full House on Wednesday,” Perez wrote in the memo.

New maps are in play for the 2026 elections in California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. Litigation has also led to changes in Utah and remains ongoing in Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana and New York.

Maryland’s bid died two weeks ago.

California has the potential to flip five seats to Democrats for a 48-4 representation for the party and Utah one to Democrats cutting into Republicans’ 4-0 representation. For Republicans, Missouri (to 7-1) and North Carolina (to 11-3) could gain one seat each; Ohio two (to 12-3); and Texas five (to 30-7).

In the House of Representatives, at the 2024 election Republicans won a 220-215 majority. Today, it is 217-212 with one independent that was formerly Republican and five vacancies.

DeSantis called the special session on the “false premise” that the U.S. Supreme Court will affirm Louisiana’s redistricting plan, Guagliardo said Monday.

“That has not been decided,” she said. “The argument was held in October and no opinion has been issued.”

DeSantis, a Republican, in January called the special session that is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

A reporter Monday asked Guagliardo if Democrats would have also redrawn congressional districts if they controlled a majority in the Florida Legislature. Guagliardo called the question a “leap” and laughed.

“The point of it is that this is an illegal partisan gerrymander,” she said. “My God I would love to see us in power one day and have the majority and to be able to represent the issues of the people. But what’s happening right now is what can occur when one party has had control for far too long and has forgotten who it is that they serve.”