Fair Districts Coalition Declines to Attend Redistricting Workshop

The Fair Districts coalition has declined to attend Fridays House Redistricting Committee workshop, where Chairman Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said he plans to discuss changes proposed by the group to the boundary lines now under review.

Weatherford said Friday that he filed the changes proposed by the coalition, which was behind the voter-approved Fair Districts amendments in 2010, as a courtesy to the group.

If you have a way to make these maps more legally appropriate or compliant, we certainly want to give your ideas a fair consideration, Weatherford said at the start of Fridays redistricting workshop.

In a 12-page letter to Weatherford on Thursday, the coalition -- made up of the League of Women Voters, the National Council of La Raza and Common Cause of Florida -- stated that their proposals comply with the Fair Districts amendments, while those under consideration by the committee and already approved by the Senate fail to comply with the wishes of the voters.

Although we have only had a day to analyze the committees latest congressional and House maps, it appears that they, like previous submissions and like those passed by the Senate, do not comply with the Fair Districts amendments, the coalition stated. Specifically, it appears that all maps under consideration were drawn with an intent to gain partisan advantage and/or to protect incumbents.

The coalition goes on to state that the Legislatures proposals fail to use geographic boundaries, where feasible, as is mandated by the amendments.

Moreover, our districts contain far more whole counties and whole cities than do the Legislatures proposed maps, the coalition continued.

The Fair Districts amendments that voters approved prohibit lawmakers from drawing legislative and congressional lines that favor any incumbent or political party, keep counties and cities within a single district whenever possible, and protect minority voting strengths.

The Senate is expected to approve the House proposals.The Florida Supreme Court would then have 30 days to review the maps before they are presented to the governor.

The House maps being focused on Friday are: HB 6005 for the new congressional lines, HJR 6001 for the new Senate borders, and HJR 6011 for the changes to the House districts.