The Florida Senate voted 28-8 on Wednesday to approve a map that would make dramatic shifts to numerous state’s 27 congressional districts. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee. The Senate wants to keep eastern Hillsborough County in one district, but the ripple effect of that move pushes District 10 back into Lake County, whereas it was wholly within Orange County in the maps prepared by legislative staffers. The full Senate meets at 9 a.m.to consider the House’s latest offer. Now the Broward County city is split three ways.
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With one day left in a special session to redraw congressional district maps, the Florida House and Senate seem as far apart as ever.
The Senate proposal has a different configuration for districts in the Tampa Bay area and in central Florida when compared with the House version.
As the Chair of the Select Committee on Redistricting, it has been my goal to produce a compliant map that is consistent with the highest state court rulings. “I would say we don’t have a map”.
It has also been my belief that if we could improve the base map consistent with the Supreme Court rulings in a timely and appropriate manner, we should do so. “Among those changes were two cities that were made whole”. But what happens if they get to noon and there is no final map?
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I look forward to presenting more information in greater detail on the floor today.
