As state leaders float redistricting, advocates are speaking out.
"We're here because Florida's governor and legislative leaders are attempting something unprecedented, dangerous and fundamentally undemocratic," said Genesis Robinson, the executive director of Equal Ground Education Fund and Action Fund, a Black-led voting rights organization.
"A mid-decade redistricting process designed to tip the scales of power for political purposes and silence voters, particularly those in the most marginalized communities of our state," Robinson continued, surrounded by people holding signs that read "STOP THE PARTISAN POWER GRAB" and "DON'T RIG OUR VOTING MAPS."
Robinson and others spoke at a press conference in the Florida Capitol on Tuesday, two days before a House committee on redistricting is scheduled to meet for the first time. Another meeting is scheduled for later this month.
A representative for Senate President Ben Albritton told POLITICO that he spoke to the governor about redistricting on Monday.
Robinson's remarks also came the day after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wanted a special legislative session on redistricting in the spring.
Florida's U.S. congressional map already disproportionately favors Republicans, sending 20 Republicans and only eight Democrats to the House. But, at President Donald Trump's urging, Texas approved a congressional map adding five Republican-leaning seats, igniting a redistricting battle between Democratic and GOP states.
That map is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The chair of the Republican Party of Florida said he thinks three to five Republican seats can be added.
In 2010, Florida voters approved state constitutional protections against partisan gerrymandering. The voting rights advocates on Tuesday said changing district lines before the 2026 midterms would conflict with that.
"Lawmakers are taking the illegal step of redrawing districts halfway through the normal cycle to avoid being held accountable by voters," said Brad Ashwell, Florida state director for All Voting is Local.
Advocates will hold an anti-redistricting rally at the Capitol on Thursday, while the House committee is meeting inside.
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This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
