A statewide struggle about the shape of Florida’s Congressional districts could have immediare consequences on the Gulf Coast, and that’s before another expected battle regarding state Senate districts has even begun.
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The Supreme Court requested that the Senate respond by noon Friday, according to an online docket.
“The House is certainly willing to continue to engage with the Senate and see if there’s a way to come up with an enacted map”, House General Counsel George Meros told Leon County Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis during a high-profile hearing.
Lawmakers ended a special session last Friday unable to agree on new maps. But the House and Senate sharply differed on changes proposed for central Florida and the Tampa Bay region.
Lewis said he will report to the court that lawmakers failed to agree to a map and “ask them what they want me to do”.
David King, the plaintiffs’ attorney, in fact said it was likely that the court would draw its own congressional district map. The Florida GOP doesn’t know how to fairly redraw the lines without giving up their district advantage, reported Politicus USA.
The fear is that the court has “wide discretion” to draw a map, Galvano said, suggesting that the Capitol crowd may not like what the court comes up with.
“The original (court) order … anticipated that there may be a hiccup in the road”, Galvano said.
The state of Florida has 27 congressional districts, each one which lines drawn to give the advantage to Republicans.
“The most important thing here is the speed of the process”, King said.
“To me it’s squandering an opportunity if we don’t at least give it another try”, Senate Reapportionment Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said after Tuesday’s hearing.
“I mean we’re the Legislature”, he says with a chuckle, “it’s not always smooth it’s not always easy, and this year is an example of that”.
“You have the House, Senate and Governor all from the same party, and they’re botching these special sessions”, Binder said.
And observers around the state note this dispute sets an ugly stage for another expected session in October, when the topic will be redistricting the state Senate map, an important document for the political prospects of senators seeking re-election and representatives looking for a promotion.
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Buchanan, co-chair of Florida’s Congressional delegation, has stated he wants Sarasota County to stay united within a single district.
