The Florida House of Representatives dived headfirst into redrawing Florida’s 40 Senate districts Monday, with the House Select Committee on Redistricting passing an amended map from committee Chairman Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, on a 9-4 party line vote.
The House redistricting committee heard from House legislative analyst Jason Poreda, who explained the map to state lawmakers. The House’s map pieces several maps together, including portions from the Senate’s proposal as well as taking plaintiffs’ concerns into consideration.
Some of the changes in the House map would include line changes in Palm Beach County, pushing all three of the area’s state senators into one district.
In Miami-Dade, Oliva got rid of the Senate’s recent proposal for Miami-Dade County. It would have divided that portion of the state into three districts, which would have ensured senators would not be forced to face off with each other for the seats.
Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Coral Gables, who pushed the amended map, said it was the best way to preserve the Hispanic voting population in Miami-Dade.
But not every lawmaker on the committee was pleased with Monday’s map or the entire mapmaking process.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, was particularly critical of the three-week legislative session, ordered by the Florida Supreme Court after it ruled state lawmakers had violated the constitution in drawing Senate and congressional lines in 2012.
Moskowitz slammed the Florida Senate for their wrongdoings, a sentiment voiced by several state lawmakers through the redistricting process.
“For three years they have fought to defend a map they now admit and consent was unconstitutional,” he told his fellow committee members.
Moskowitz, who harshly criticized the Legislature for wasting taxpayers' time and money, offered the plaintiffs’ map for consideration during Monday’s meeting, but withdrew his amended maps so the Senate could consider them.
Ultimately, the committee approved Oliva’s map.
With four days left until the end of the redistricting special session, state lawmakers will have to compromise in order to finalize a map meeting the court’s requirements.
Rep. Oliva rebuffed comments about legislative intent when drawing up the potential map boundaries.
“How can you see intent? Intent is in the eye of the beholder,” Oliva said on the map creation. “What I saw was a concern to make a part of the map more compact, more numerically superior.”
The special session is scheduled to end Friday, Nov. 6.
Reach Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com.
