DeSantis changes story on redrawing congressional districts -- a.k.a. gerrymandering

A special report from Florida Phoenix

Congressional redistricting was not on the mind of Gov. Ron DeSantis or any other Florida Republican last year, until Donald Trump made it an issue. The president, concerned Republicans would lose their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, called on Texas initially and then other red states to redistrict their congressional delegations.

By Mitch Perry

Florida Phoenix

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously said that one of the reasons why Florida must conduct an unusual mid-decade congressional redistricting this year is because the state would likely be “forced” into compliance with an expected U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

That legal opinion has yet to be issued by the court, however, and likely won’t be by the time the Legislature reconvenes in Tallahassee on April 20 to begin the weeklong special session devoted to redistricting.

DeSantis said Monday that the Legislature should go ahead and begin the process, nonetheless, predicting that judicial opinion may come later but that there are other legitimate reasons to go forward, beginning with the fact that the state’s congressional lines should be updated to more accurately reflect the growth in population over the past five years.

“What I’ve said was, Florida has experienced 10 years’ worth of population growth in, like, three [years],” he said in response to a question by a Phoenix reporter at a news conference in Tampa.

“And so, if you look, our districts are not fairly apportioned because of that. It wasn’t the fault of the people who did the maps, and you still got to use the baseline 2020 data, but I think when you’re looking at that, how do you make that work? I think that’s something that’s totally appropriate,” he said.

DeSantis has previously mentioned that he believes the state’s existing maps for legislative and congressional districts are outdated because of the influx of new residents that began at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020. According to a report by the U.S. Census published in June 2025, Florida’s population increased by 8.24% from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2024, more than any other state in the country.

However, as DeSantis noted, when state lawmakers begin drawing up new congressional maps later this month, they will not have in their possession any of that updated U.S. Census Bureau information. Instead, they will rely on the 2020 U.S. Census numbers. The governor has not said how those congressional lines would change from 2022 if the state is using dated demographic data.

Congressional redistricting was not on the mind of DeSantis or any other Florida Republican last year, until Donald Trump made it an issue. The president, concerned Republicans would lose their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, called on Texas initially and then other red states to redistrict their congressional delegations last summer.

While Texas followed suit to (likely) give Republicans more congressional seats later this year, blue states responded to create new congressional districts that will likely favor Democrats. The next blue state that may do so is Virginia, which is scheduled to vote on a redistricting referendum led by its new Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, on April 21.

Florida law bans gerrymandering of legislative and congressional redistricting, and DeSantis has been careful to say that the state would not redraw congressional lines for any partisan gain. That’s why he previously emphasized that he would be “forced to” if the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately strikes down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The section prohibits voting laws or procedures that deny or abridge voting rights due to a person’s “race or color” or membership in a language minority, and is at the heart of Louisiana v. Callais, which the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about in October and is expected to rule on before it ends its current session at the end of June.

DeSantis said in December that his motivation for redrawing congressional districts is that the state will “be forced to do it because the Supreme Court’s VRA [Voting Rights Act] decision is going to impact the current map. No matter what else, that is going to have to be addressed.”

On Monday, DeSantis said it was more than likely that the high court would strike down Section 2 of the VRA, and he said that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if that doesn’t happen before Florida’s special session on redistricting begins later this month.

“I also think that we know how that Supreme Court case is going to come out at this point,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s much of a dispute about that, and I think Justice Alito is writing the opinion. So, us looking at our map, understanding the issues in that case, and fixing it, I think that’s appropriate whether the decision comes before we do it or after. And it will obviously come sometime between now and the end of June.”

DeSantis comment that Justice Samuel Alito was “writing the opinion” drew concerns from John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC).

“I’m sorry, is this a sitting US Republican Governor saying that he has INSIDE information from a Supreme Court Justice about a case before the court to ensure political capitalization off the case?” Bisognano said on X. “It sure sounds like it…”

Polls show that Floridians oppose the effort. More than 56% of 1,125 likely Florida voters think it’s a “bad idea,” according to an Emerson College poll released last week. That includes 64% of independents and 65% of Democrats, while 57% of Republicans support the idea.

“No one in Florida wants this,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told the Phoenix. “Not his own congressional members. Not legislative leaders. Not voters. Fifty-six percent of Floridians just said so in a brand new poll. Ron DeSantis is fighting a battle nobody asked him to fight, spending money nobody wants him to spend on a map nobody has even seen yet. This has never been about Florida, it has always been about him. That is his legacy: self over service, every single time.”

Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:

---

Onward thru the fog

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog. That includes both original reporting and shared stories such as this one today by Mitch Perry of Florida Phoenix.

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

---

Share Tropic Press. Please!

As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends. If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.