Members of the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee favored county lines as the first place to put down new boundary lines for Floridas growing federal seats.
Meanwhile, the number of public submissions to remap Florida under the voter-approved Fair Districts measure is approaching 100, with two weeks until the deadline to get them in.
On Monday, subcommittee members and House staff continued to focus on how to address federal minority representation rules that require any new map to include three minority-majority districts as required under the federal Voting Rights Act.
But once the urban areashave been drawn with such minority-majority districts, House members said the simplest way to line up the districts would be to start with county boundaries before considering roadways and natural boundaries.
Rep. Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee, said many who attended public hearings on redistricting held across Florida over the summer used county lines as their reference points.
Folks frankly know what county they live in. Youre not sure youre in unincorporated or inside a city, but you know the county lines, Horner said.
The House and Senate redistricting subcommittees have slowly started to piece together new legislative and congressional district lines.Different individuals and groups have submitted 94 ways they think the districts should be redrawn.
While not every publicly submitted map has followed the guidelines that legislators must abide by, each has been given a serious review, said Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, who oversees the House Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee.
They may be disqualified in total, but there may be pieces of those maps that are used to put the whole scheme together, Holder said. We want individuals, even if they are only concerned about their small universe in a particular region, its fine for them to draw just their particular region.
Residents have until Nov. 1 to submit maps on how to draw Floridas 27 congressional districts, up from the current 25.
Under the voter-approved Fair Districts amendments, the lines mustfavor natural boundaries and existing government lines, but also maintain the existing minority-majority districts.
Two of Floridas three minority-majority districts are heavily gerrymandered by racial population: District 3, held by U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, ranges through Alachua, Clay, Duval, Lake, Marion, Orange, Putnam, Seminole, and Volusia counties; District 23, held by U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, travels from Hollywood and North Miami west to the eastern bank of Lake Okeechobee and then northeast to Fort Pierce.
The third majority-minority seat is District 17, which includes southern Broward County and eastern Miami-Dade County. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, holds the seat.
The Florida House is appealing a court ruling that upheld the Fair Districts amendment.
The amendment bars lawmakers from drawing congressional and state legislative districts to favor incumbents or a political party.
The Legislature must approve new lines in the 2012 session that starts in January.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859 or (772) 215-9889.
