Governor Ron DeSantis has confirmed Florida will join the national redistricting battle, announcing plans for a special legislative session between March and May 2026 to redraw congressional district maps in what could significantly impact Republican control of the House ahead of critical midterm elections.
In an exclusive interview with The Floridian, DeSantis stated definitively that the state is going to redistrict next spring, timing the effort to coincide with ongoing Supreme Court deliberations over the Voting Rights Act that could reshape how states approach racial considerations in mapmaking. House Speaker Danny Perez has already assembled a select committee comprising eight Republicans and three Democrats to prepare new congressional district proposals, signaling serious momentum behind the initiative.
"We're going to redistrict. The issue is that there is a Supreme Court decision that we are waiting on about Section 2 of the VRA that impacts Florida's maps, so we're going to do it next spring."
Republicans currently hold a commanding twenty to eight advantage in Florida's congressional delegation, with the existing map drawn under DeSantis's direction in 2022 after he vetoed the legislature's initial proposal. The Florida Supreme Court upheld that controversial map in July 2025, dismantling Congressional District 5 which previously stretched from Jacksonville to west of Tallahassee and was represented by Black Democrat Al Lawson. Under the DeSantis-backed redistricting, white Republicans have since won all North Florida congressional seats.
The mid-decade redistricting push comes as President Trump and Republican leadership work to maintain their narrow House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms. Similar efforts are underway in Texas, where federal courts have blocked new maps citing racial gerrymandering, while Democratic-controlled California recently passed its own redistricting measure. Florida Republicans believe they can potentially flip three to five seats currently held by Democrats, though Democratic House Leader has called the plan illegal.
Critics point to Florida's Fair Districts amendments, voter-approved constitutional provisions that explicitly ban drawing maps with intent to favor a party or incumbent. Voting rights organizations warn the redistricting violates the non-diminishment clause protecting minority communities' ability to elect candidates of their choice. The Southern Poverty Law Center stated legislators must choose between obeying the Constitution or bowing to political pressure, but cannot do both.
DeSantis has also suggested Florida deserves additional congressional seats beyond its current twenty-eight, claiming the 2020 Census shortchanged the state in favor of blue states that allegedly count illegal aliens in their population metrics. However, the Census Bureau has announced no plans for a corrected census before the 2026 elections, and experts say conducting a new enumeration and reallocating seats would be logistically impossible within that timeframe.
Senate President Ben Albritton has remained notably silent on redistricting plans, declining to assemble a Senate committee or publish opinions on the matter. The House select committee scheduled its first meeting for early December, marking the Legislature's most meaningful step toward new maps. Legal challenges appear inevitable given the state's constitutional restrictions and the precedent set by federal courts blocking similar efforts in Texas, setting up what promises to be contentious litigation that could stretch well into the election year.