Florida lawmakers approved a new congressional map Wednesday that could position Republicans to win four additional U.S. House seats in the midterm elections this fall. The state Senate passed the redistricting plan 21-17, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act in a case involving Louisiana's congressional districts.
The vote comes as part of an unusual mid-decade redistricting effort driven by President Trump, who urged Republican-led states to redraw their maps before November elections rather than waiting for the traditional post-census redistricting at the start of each decade. The bill now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his expected signature.
What the Left Is Saying
Florida Democrats have called the redraw politically motivated and a violation of a 2010 constitutional amendment passed by state voters that protects minority access districts and bans gerrymandered maps. That amendment, which DeSantis argues is now invalidated by the Supreme Court's morning ruling, was designed to prevent exactly this kind of partisan redistricting.
"Let's not pretend this is happening in a vacuum," said Democratic state Sen. Lavon Bracy Davis during floor debate. "This is about power. This is about relinquishing our power and giving it to the president."
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said Tuesday the party will file lawsuits against the map, arguing it undermines democratic principles. "Democracy has fallen here in our state," she said at a press conference, adding that national Democrats are watching closely.
Democrats have noted that recent special election results showing stronger-than-expected Democratic performance could limit Republican gains even with the new boundaries. They argue the map may create more competitive GOP seats, potentially offsetting some advantages.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans say the redraw is necessary because Florida's rapid population growth requires updated district lines to reflect current residents. DeSantis has defended the map as legally required rather than politically motivated.
The governor had predicted that the Supreme Court would weaken the Voting Rights Act in a way that would support redistricting in Florida, and he urged lawmakers to act quickly once that happened. Within hours of Wednesday's ruling, DeSantis posted on X that it "invalidates" the Florida constitutional ban on districts that deny minority communities equal opportunity to participate in politics.
State Sen. Donald Gaetz spoke in favor of the legislation during Senate debate, arguing the state must update its maps to account for population shifts documented by the census.
What the Numbers Show
The Senate vote was 21-17 along party lines, with all Republicans supporting and all Democrats opposing.
Under the current map, Florida has 28 congressional districts with 20 leaning Republican. The new map raises that to 24 Republican-favoring districts, according to figures released by DeSantis' office. That represents a potential gain of roughly four seats for the GOP.
Nationally, redistricting efforts have created competing advantages. Republican-led states have drawn maps giving their party an edge in approximately 13 House seats, while Democratic-led states have created maps favoring Democrats in about 10 seats, according to an analysis of state-by-state changes.
Trump previously got Texas Republicans to give their party an advantage in five additional seats, and California Democrats responded by helping Democrats win five more seats. Virginia voters approved redistricting last week, with Democrats having caught up with or possibly surpassed Trump's GOP push before Florida's move.
Republicans currently control the U.S. House with a narrow majority that could determine their ability to advance Trump's agenda and block Democratic-led investigations of his administration.
The Bottom Line
The timing of Florida's action is significant. Legal experts say courts are unlikely to overturn election laws so close to an election given the need for ballot printing, candidate qualification, and voter awareness before primaries in August and the general election in November.
"You have to have the primary. You have to have the ballots printed," said Michael Morley of Florida State University's Election Law Center. "Everybody needs to know what the districts actually are well in advance."
Democrats say they will pursue legal challenges despite these obstacles, arguing the map violates the state constitution regardless of the Supreme Court's federal ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The outcome could affect control of Congress heading into 2027.