The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to announce its statistics from the 2010 Census Tuesday, and as a result, Florida is slated to get at least one -- and possibly two -- extra seats in the House of Representatives.
Floridas population has grown substantially in the 10 years since the last census, with the Census Bureau estimating 18.5 million residents in the state in 2009, up more than 2.5 million from 2000 Census numbers.
State legislators involved in the process of redistricting will take notice of the data released Tuesday, but say it is too soon to know where the new districts might be placed or which political party might benefit the most by the shift in district boundaries.
Our job is to follow the law and draw districts, and well let the voters decide who wins the seats, said Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, chairman of the House Redistricting Committee.
But following the law will be a difficult proposition for legislators, as the redistricting process is already the subject of court cases before it has really begun.
Voters passed Amendments 5 and 6 to the Florida Constitution during the midterm elections, placing greater restrictions on legislators trying to draw new districts. For instance, new congressional and legislative boundaries must not be drawn to help or hurt incumbents or minority voters.
Those amendments, are already being challenged in the courts. U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, and Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, have filed suit to have them struck down. State legislators, though, are proceeding under the assumption the amendments will be upheld.
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, who chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee, pledged an open and transparent process during a meeting earlier this month, and while federal and state laws will make for a complicated and arduous process, he is reveling in the prospect of two more congressional seats for Florida.
Imagine how much more powerful Florida will be in Republican and Democratic presidential politics with two more congressional districts, Gaetz said.
The data released Tuesday will go a long way toward determining where legislators will fit in those new districts.
The new congressional districts will probably go where theres been a disproportionate increase in population, Gaetz said.
Tuesdays numbers are likely to raise some eyebrows, but wont spark any immediate action by legislators. Weatherfords committee doesnt have any members yet (they're expected to be announced in January), and until more specific, block-by-block statistics are released in April, he says theres little for them to do.
If Republicans in charge of redistricting are quiet about what redistricting means for the GOP in the state, they are excited about the partys possible national gains. Most estimates have traditionally blue states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts losing seats and red states like Georgia, South Carolina and Texas adding districts.
I think people are moving out of these states with a high tax structure andhighly regulated industries and coming to states with warm weather and friendly to investment capital. Hopefully, well continue to create good policies that will continue the population growth, Weatherford said.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
