Florida Politics

‘See You in Court’: Democrats, Voting Rights Groups Unload on DeSantis Redistricting Map

From House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to local Tampa Bay officials, critics are calling the Governor’s proposed congressional map blatantly illegal.

The ink was barely dry on Governor Ron DeSantis’s proposed congressional redistricting map before a wave of condemnation rolled in from Democratic leaders, voting rights advocates, and editorial boards—all warning the plan violates Florida’s constitution, dilutes minority voting power, and will be dead on arrival in court. Republicans, at least publicly, expressed delight.

• The map heads to the Florida House for a committee vote Tuesday and a full floor vote Wednesday during Special Session D.

Jeffries to DeSantis: ‘See You in Court’

U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the map “blatantly illegal and political malpractice” and coined the term “DeSantis Dummymander”—a label that spread quickly across political social media Monday.

“By nakedly targeting communities of color to intentionally dilute their voting strength, the DeSantis Dummymander also clearly violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. … The DeSantis Dummymander will not stand. See you in Court.”
— House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries

DCCC Executive Director Julie Merz called the map “a corrupt partisan power grab that violates Florida’s strict prohibition of partisan gerrymanders” and predicted it would backfire.

• “Republicans should be careful what they wish for,” Merz said, noting the DCCC already has four Florida seats on its Districts in Play list. “We anticipate this blatantly illegal map will be struck down by the courts.”

Florida Democrats: ‘He Drew It for Donald Trump’

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried framed the map as less about Florida’s representation and more about the Governor’s national ambitions.

“Ron DeSantis didn’t draw this map for Florida; he drew it for the only Floridian he cares about: Donald Trump. He would willfully break the law and screw over the people of Florida for a morsel of relevance.”
— FDP Chair Nikki Fried

Fried also invoked bipartisan opposition to the process itself—not just the outcome.

• “No one wants this; not the voters, not the Legislature. There has been bipartisan opposition to this process for months.”

Voting Rights Groups: ‘Party Over Fair Elections’

Voter access advocacy group All Voting is Local raised a practical concern beyond the constitutional debate: election administration chaos. Florida State Director Brad Ashwell said instituting a new map ahead of November’s elections will create “voter confusion and unnecessary work for local election officials who are already bogged down by frequent policy changes and new hurdles.”

• Ashwell framed the map as a direct assault on the 2010 ballot initiative that Floridians approved by a supermajority: “Our Governor and lawmakers are directly undermining our state Constitution and the will of the voters.”

DeSantis’s Counsel: Fair Districts Is Dead—All of It

The legal architecture underpinning the map is laid out in the transmittal letter from EOG General Counsel David Axelman, which argues that Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment (FDA)—passed by voters in 2010—is unconstitutional in its entirety and no longer applies. Read EOG_Transmittal Letter.

• Axelman’s core claim: because the FDA’s race-based provisions cannot survive strict scrutiny under the 14th Amendment, and because the FDA was “sold to voters as a package” with no severability clause, the entire amendment falls. That means, by the EOG’s logic, not just the racial considerations are voided—but also the FDA’s ban on partisan gerrymandering and incumbent protection.

South Florida Takes the Hardest Hit—Tampa Bay Too

The map’s sharpest edges are felt in South Florida, where the proposed lines would reshape five congressional districts spanning Districts 20 through 28—five of which are currently held or were most recently held by Democrats.

• Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) would be drawn into a reconfigured District 22 stretching inland through Palm Beach and Broward counties into Republican-leaning Hendry and Collier counties. Dave’s Redistricting analysis shows 54.6% of voters there backed Donald Trump in 2024.
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) would be displaced from her Broward County base into a coastal District 25—and like Moskowitz, faces pressure toward the competitive District 22, forcing difficult decisions about where to run.
• Rep. Lois Frankel (D) would be moved out of Palm Beach-based District 22 into a reconfigured District 23—one that still leans Democratic at 56% Harris in 2024, though with a reduced Broward base.
• Rep. Frederica Wilson (D) would lose the coastal portion of District 24 but retain Democratic-heavy municipalities, including Miami Gardens and North Miami. The district remains strongly Democratic—nearly 69% Harris in 2024.
• Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez (R) in Districts 27 and 28 would see minimal changes under the proposal.

The net effect in South Florida, critics say: Democratic voters packed into fewer districts, expanding the Republican map statewide. 

Tampa Bay faces an equally dramatic shake-up. Under the proposal, the region’s only Democratic-leaning congressional district—currently represented by Rep. Kathy Castor—would be redrawn to tilt slightly Republican, leaving nearly 500,000 active Democratic voters in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties without a single Democratic representative in Congress.

• District 12 (Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R) would absorb parts of urban Tampa, including Seminole Heights and Carrollwood, adding Democratic voters and making a Republican stronghold more competitive.
• District 13 (Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R) would add a portion of western Pasco County, shoring up a somewhat vulnerable seat for Republicans.
• District 14 (Rep. Castor, D) would shift south and east into Brandon and Plant City, swinging the district from overwhelmingly Democratic to slightly Republican-leaning—a 21-point partisan swing.
• District 15 (Rep. Laurel Lee, R) would shift north into Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties, growing more conservative.
• District 16 (Rep. Vern Buchanan, R, retiring) would swing northwest to include much of St. Petersburg—potentially the most competitive reconfigured seat in the region.

“It’s crazy. For Tampa Bay to be wiped out of ANY congressional Democrat is pretty amazing.”
— Victor DiMaio, President, Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus

The Bigger Picture

The proposed Florida map is part of a coordinated national redistricting push encouraged by President Donald Trump, who has urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps to protect GOP House control heading into the 2026 midterms. Florida’s move mirrors similar efforts in other red states.

• The Miami Herald editorial board summarized the central tension bluntly: the plan creates 24 Republican-leaning districts in a state where voter registration numbers do not justify such a lopsided map—and it does so in direct tension with a constitutional amendment Floridians approved with 62% support in 2010.

In 2015, the Florida Supreme Court found that two South Florida districts had been drawn to favor a political party in violation of Fair Districts—and ordered the map redrawn before the 2016 elections. Critics say history is about to repeat itself, only faster and with higher stakes.

• The Legislature is expected to vote this week. Legal challenges are expected to follow almost immediately.

Rick’s Blog will continue covering Special Session D and the redistricting fight in Tallahassee and the courts. Follow updates at ricksblog.biz.