On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill on congressional redistricting maps and called for a Special Session of the Florida Legislature to produce a new map that will establish new congressional voting districts in Florida.
Governor DeSantis vetoed CS/SB 102 this morning after reviewing the bill, citing legal concerns. A supporting memorandum can be found here. The Special Session will convene at 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, and will extend no later than 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 22.
“We have a responsibility to produce maps for our citizens that do not contain unconstitutional racial gerrymanders,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today, I vetoed a map that violates the U.S. Constitution, but that does not absolve the Legislature from doing its job. I appreciate the Legislature’s willingness to work with me to pass a legally compliant map this Special Session.”
“Our goal is for Florida to have a new congressional map passed by the Legislature, signed by the governor and upheld by the court if challenged,” House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson shared in a joint statement. “Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to exhaust every effort in pursuit of a legislative solution.”
Republican Senate President Wilton Simpson and Republican House Speaker Chris Sprowls have instructed lawmakers to return to the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on April 19 to 22.
Earlier this year the governor proposed a map that would have produced a split of 20 Republican-leaning seats and eight Democratic-leaning seats. The current delegation has 16 Republican members and 11 Democratic members.
Find the full veto transmittal letter here and proclamation calling for a Special Session here.
Photo: https://www.flgov.com
