Florida will get at least one, and possibly two, more congressional districts after the U.S. Census data is released, but the state Legislature will decide where those new districts will be drawn on the map.
State senators began the long and likely litigious process of adopting new state legislative and congressional districts Thursday as the Reapportionment Committee held its first meeting.
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, who chairs the committee, settled in and set out a deliberate, slow course for the redistricting task, while taking into account the numerous political and legal implications associated with it.
This will be a very interactive process, a very open and transparent process. We want every citizen of Florida to participate in the process along with the legislators, Gaetz said.
The committee, along with its corresponding body in the House, is reliant on the U.S. Census data to determine how many citizens will be represented by their elected member of the U.S. House, the Florida Senate, and the Florida House. A preliminary report will be released before the end of the year, and the data will be finalized by April 2011.
Legislators must then draw districts that are contiguous and consider cohesive communities. They must also be mindful not to violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits the drawing of districts so as to thwart the voting power of a minority group.
Complicating the picture are Amendments 5 and 6, which Florida voters passed in the midterm elections and place further restrictions on legislators. The amendments bar legislators from intentionally drawing districts that favor or disfavor incumbents, political parties, or racial or language minorities.
Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, drew a red circle around the word intent.
Everything we say and do now in light of 5 and 6 and the intent language is subject to the review of some court, said Thrasher.
Given the number of laws and restrictions placed on legislators, and the wide array of communities and constituents they must represent, the prospect of drawing districts that please everyone is highly unlikely. A fair process that results in nondiscriminatory districts is sought by all parties, but a long-drawn-out process that drags through the courts obviously is not desired.
Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, said she didnt know who her constituents were going to be when she was elected in the last round of redistricting in 2002.
My district, the district I presently serve, it was not constructed until far into my representing the district, said Bullard, noting that some houses had district lines running through them in District 39, her district. How do we avoid having that kind of thing happen again? she asked.
The Senate committee will hold interim meetings across the state during the summer of 2011. The regular legislative session of 2012 will begin two months earlier, in January, to allow for the extra work of redistricting. Provided the new district maps pass both houses and get the approval of the governor, they will be reviewed by the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts in April 2012.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
