The special session to hammer out a set of redrawn congressional maps fell flat a week ago, but state lawmakers haven’t necessarily given up on working out a new set of maps.
Tensions ran high as negotiations over the map crumbled this time last week, with neither the House nor the Senate coming to any sort of agreement on the maps. The Senate had proposed an amended map which would have kept eastern Hillsborough County and Sarasota County in one congressional district, but the House shut down that offer as well as the Senate’s plea to extend the special session.
So, lawmakers packed up their briefcases and returned home with no new maps, leaving the door open to the very real possibility that the Supreme Court would be the one to end up drawing the congressional maps.
But chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, made it clear the Senate wouldn’t take no for an answer and would at least try to work out some kind of compromise with the House.
Galvano put a new map on the table. The proposal redrew several lines and would have had Manatee and Sarasota County in separate districts.
In an attempt to satisfy the other chamber, Galvano and the Senate also left CD 10, which is currently held by Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., intact as it was in the House’s plan.
“I ... recognize the legislative process can only work if the House and Senate can reach agreement together,” said Galvano in a memo to his fellow senators. “It is about compromise.”
On Friday, Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami Gardens, said it was “unfortunate” the Senate didn’t make the proposal when it was prime time and legislators were actually in Tallahassee working on the maps. If Galvano had put the proposal on the table at that time, Oliva explained, the House would have seriously considered it.
But as far as specifics of the new Senate maps went, the last-ditch proposal was a no-go.
“I am open to any idea that could constitutionally be considered an improvement over the amended map that the House publicly vetted, debated and passed with a bipartisan vote,” he wrote in a memo to state reps. “However, in order to fully and publicly vet the proposal filed by Chairman Galvano, we would need additional time.”
Oliva also expressed uncertainty whether the full Senate was actually onboard with Galvano’s proposal. Without an appropriate public vetting process, he remained firm on the House’s original map.
“Together with the initial base map, [our map] is the only map available to the House at this time that, without further review and evaluation, I can confidently represent fulfills our constitutional obligations,” he said.
Friday’s developments were just the latest in a string of disagreements over the redistricting process.
Despite lawmakers coming into August's special session with what they described as "open minds" and a willingness to negotiate, it appeared both of these were insufficient for legislators to reach an agreement on new maps. Insiders have speculated politics and inner turmoil from June's special session could have spilled over into this special session and some are uneasy over what the next few months will be like legislatively.
As for now, Senate President Andy Gardiner is hoping to help the chambers reach some agreement and host a meeting of the two redistricting chairs.
Trial Judge Terry Lewis pleaded with the Supreme Court to give some guidance on how to resolve the dispute.
A decision on who will decide the fate of Florida's congressional districts is anticipated sometime Friday.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
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