House Redistricting Committee members will narrow the list of proposed maps for new congressional lines to three in the new few weeks.
The House, on Tuesday, released seven potential versions of how it could redraw the new congressional lines for once-a-decade redistricting.
On Thursday, the House Congressional Redistricting subcommittee reviewed the maps, but made no decision on which maps to move on to the full committee.
Subcommittee Co-Chair Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, said there is no favorite among the seven maps as of Thursday.
Those studying the congressional districts will notice that the districts' numbers have been made more uniform, starting at 1 in the western end of the Panhandle, winding west to east and down the state, with the additional 27th and 28th districts landing in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys.
The state is picking up the additional districts because of its population growth.
I think its very important to show what the maps look like that are focused on boundaries based on cities, boundaries based on counties, boundaries based on roads; some are a lot cleaner than others, Holder said. Gerrymandering was what people want us to avoid and because of the guidelines that we have, its very difficult to draw those lines.
Decisions have yet to be made on how the House and Senate will negotiate the congressional maps they are each proposing.
Republicans currently hold 19 of the states 25 congressional seats. Still, the voter registration divides are not expected to change much even as the maps reportedly follow the voter-approved Fair Districts amendments, yet maintain a couple of widely gerrymandered districts, including District 3, held by Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville.
Holder said no party affiliation data was used to draw the lines.
Were adhering to Florida law, Holder said.
House staff said some committee and House members provided input as the maps were being put together on where boundary lines should be draw in their region, but no legislator submitted a proposal map.
Brown, whose district winds from Jacksonville to Orlando, along with Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, sued to block the voter-approved redistricting effort. The two contended that the Fair Districts guidelines imposed by voters violate the U.S. Constitutions requirement that boundaries be drawn by the state legislature.
The seven maps offer little nuisances that occur mostly in Central Florida where there is a Hispanic seat -- similar to the state Senate proposal -- and in more urban areas.
The final congressional, Senate and House maps legislators settle on are subject to approval by state and U.S. courts before the 2012 qualifying period -- June 4-8 -- for Congress and the Legislature.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
