Florida Becomes The Gop’s Biggest Redistricting Test — And A Messy One

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida is barreling into a mid-decade redistricting fight with Republicans in and out of the state pushing for action — but party leaders are split on how far to go and when to start.

Florida is the crown jewel in Republicans’ national redistricting ambitions. Those pushing the effort believe the state could yield three to five additional GOP House seats ahead of the 2026 midterms — a haul big enough to influence control of Congress. But the drive comes amid an ongoing power struggle inside the state Capitol and a thicket of legal constraints that make Florida one of the hardest places in the country to redraw lines for partisan gain.

Even as Gov. Ron DeSantis teases plans to call a special session next year, GOP legislative leaders are not unified in what comes next. A special House committee dedicated to redistricting will meet this week — without a proposed map in hand, according to a spokesperson for House Speaker Daniel Perez. Another meeting is planned for later in December.

The push gained national momentum after the White House and President Donald Trump called on the largest Republican-led states to reopen their maps. In Trump’s adopted home state, DeSantis has been clamoring for action on redistricting for months. But inside the Capitol, the signals remain mixed — and DeSantis added a new wrinkle Monday, telling a conservative outlet he wants lawmakers to handle redistricting in a special session next spring, after the regular session.

That’s not what the House is doing so far. House Republicans are moving ahead with their own plans, and two people familiar with the thinking of House leadership, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said they were “unconcerned about the governor’s statements.”

In the Senate, the appetite appears even softer. State Senate President Ben Albritton has been noncommittal for months. But Albritton and DeSantis met briefly Monday, where the topic came up, Albritton spokesperson Katie Betta confirmed.

“The governor reiterated to the President what he has stated publicly — that the timeline for addressing redistricting should be next spring,” Betta said. “We have always assumed that ‘spring’ means after the regular session, which is this winter.”

Albritton had previously signaled hesitation, saying in October, “We’re just observing at this point.” And state Sen. Don Gaetz, who once chaired the Senate’s redistricting committee, said he is unaware of any conversations going on in his chamber. “Not that I know of,” Gaetz said before Thanksgiving. “I actually have asked around.”

The biggest obstacle may be Florida’s own Constitution. Florida voters in 2010 adopted standards that make it illegal to draw up legislative and congressional districts based on partisan gain or to help incumbents — some of the toughest anti-gerrymandering rules in the country. A state Supreme Court decision this year weakened part of the minority-protection language in the so-called Fair Districts measure, but the core prohibition on partisan intent remains intact.

Democrats argue that makes any mid-decade effort a nonstarter. House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said Democrats will assert that any new map is “illegal” and violates Fair Districts.

“The only reason this is happening is because Donald Trump wants to rig the 2026 midterms,” Driskell said Monday, adding that she hopes the Senate will act as a “backstop” against the push.

Florida’s current congressional map — giving Republicans a 20-8 edge — was muscled into law by DeSantis after he vetoed the first version drawn up by the Legislature. The map has withstood legal challenges at the state and federal levels, though a panel of federal judges recently allowed a case to move forward that challenges several state House districts and the congressional seat held by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

One lingering question is whether DeSantis will again offer up his own map. He has several senior staffers with redistricting experience. His office this past summer hired Jason Poreda as a senior governmental analyst. Poreda had been the chief map drawer for the Florida House in 2022. Alex Kelly, the main map drawer for the governor last time, works for the governor as an agency secretary. Leda Kelly, the governor’s budget director, once worked as the House redistricting committee staff director. The governor’s office did not respond to a question about whether it will be involved in any map drawing efforts.

DeSantis has previously pointed to an ongoing Louisiana Supreme Court case to justify reopening Florida’s map. He has argued that if the court rules that states cannot consider race when drawing district lines, it would “necessitate new congressional redistricting” in Florida — particularly in parts of South Florida with sizable Black and Hispanic populations. But it's not clear when or how the high court will ultimately decide that case.