The Florida Senate passed a bill approving the state's new congressional redistricting map in the upper chamber on Wednesday. The map, rolled out by Gov. Ron DeSantis, could add four congressional seats for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms, and help keep the GOP's slim majority on The Hill from Democrats.
The vote was 21-17 in the Senate. The Florida House voted to pass an identical bill 83-28 earlier in the day.
What Democratic lawmakers are saying:
"What is happening here today is illegal, and what we are being asked to do is not just pass some routine bill," Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) said. "It is not consistent with the oath that each and every single one of us members of the Florida Senate took to uphold and defend the Constitution of the State of Florida. Let's be clear about what happened with these maps. This map was drafted in secret outside of the sunshine, outside of the legislature, on purpose so that lawmakers would not be deposed."
"They're attempting to hide a simple truth, that this map is illegal, is unconstitutional, and all the statistical trickery in the world cannot hide that no one is asking for illegal partisan gerrymandering," Sen. Brian Nathan (D-Tampa) said.
"We do not have mid-decade census data. The Census Bureau has not given us new numbers," Sen. Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) said. "We are still operating on 2020 figures. If the governor is truly concerned about accurate representation based on population, he does not have the data to draw the map."
Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Pensacola) sponsored the bill in the Senate. Outside of Gaetz, no Republicans debated on the bill.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill. DeSantis originally called for a special session on congressional redistricting in an exclusive interview with The Floridian back in December 2025, and it appears to have worked.
Suck it up DemocratSlaveryParty scumpols!