A majority of the Florida congressional delegation wrote the leaders of the Florida Legislature on Thursday, asking them to hold statewide hearings on congressional redistricting as mandated by a state Supreme Court decision.
Republican U.S. Reps. Ander Crenshaw, Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Dan Webster and Ted Yoho joined Democrats U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel, Alan Grayson, Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Frederica Wilson in sending a letter to Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, on Thursday asking for the hearings.
“We hope you agree that those directly affected by the Supreme Court’s recent ruling ... should have their views and opinions heard in this important matter,” the representatives wrote. “The opportunity to be heard is particularly important for African-American and Latino communities whose representation and voting power will be impacted by any ruling.
“Anything less would be a travesty since the goal is for representation for all of Florida’s citizens,” they added.
Earlier this month, in a 5-2 decision, the Florida Supreme Court struck down the congressional districts drawn up by the Republican Legislature, insisting they violated state constitutional amendments passed by voters in 2010 which attempted to crack down on gerrymandering for partisan advantage.
Both Democrats and Republicans from the Florida delegation will be affected by the ruling, including Curbelo, Ros-Lehtinen, Brown, Frankel, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla.
Brown was a vocal opponent of the amendments in 2010, teaming up with Diaz-Balart to push back against them. She also criticized the Supreme Court decision earlier this month.
"I firmly believe that I, as an African-American legislator, can understand and empathize with the issues my constituents confront on a profound level since I share the same racial and cultural background as they do, and have had to battle many of the same challenges and prejudices that they have," Brown said after the decision.
“District 5 in Florida, and minority access districts across the nation, cannot, will not be eliminated, particularly after the hard-fought gains we have made during the last 50 years," she continued. "As a people, African-Americans have fought too hard to get to where we are now, and we certainly are not taking any steps backwards.”
Brown’s office forwarded the letter to the media on Friday.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
