Black Democrats shut down House debate on Gov. DeSantis’ redistricting plan

Black Democrats have occupied the House chamber to protect and block the likely approval of Gov. Ron DeSantis plan to redraw Florida’s congressional districts, which would eliminate two Black “access” seats in North and Central Florida.

At about 15 minutes before noon, members began shouting as they moved to the well of the chamber, where they revealed T-shirts reading, “Stop the Black Attack.”

Republican Erin Grall, presiding over the debate, halted the proceedings as Speaker Chris Sprowls, who’d been off the dais during the debate, returned to the chamber. Republicans exited while Black and other Democrats gathered in the main aisle, where they prayed and denounced the governor’s plan.

“We have the right to choose who represents us,” Dotie Joseph of Miami-Dade County, prayed.

“We have the right to be treated equally, to be represented equally, to just be free,” she said.

House rules allow Sprowls to order the House marshal to forcibly remove the members from the floor, but there was no word from the speaker about what will happen next.

The disruption came after the chair cut the mike as Democrat Yvonne Hinson, representing parts of Alachua and Marion counties, went over her allotted time during debate.

Michelle Rayner, a Democrat representing parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties, standing on the floor and speaking to reporters in the press gallery, denounced DeSantis’ tactics.

“He’s saying we can’t talk about certain things. He’s saying we can’t love who we want to love, we can’t vote a certain way, we can’t have certain representation. Last time I checked, that’s what Vladimir Putin does,” Rayner said.

“And Florida is the microcosm for this nation. So, if this stands in Florida, you can believe that this will happen and the federal level, and we cannot afford for our democracy to be eroded,” she said.

The demonstration came after Republicans repeatedly shut down Black Democrats who tied Desantis’s congressional redistricting plan to Florida’s history of Jim Crow laws, which left the state without Black representation in Congress for 116 years.

That represents the period between Reconstruction and 1993, when a class of Black leaders finally gained seats in Congress, including Corrine Brown, Alcee Hastings, and Carrie Meek.

DeSantis plan would eliminate Black-“access” seats in North and Central Florida, a reduction from four seats to two (although Republican Byron Donalds represents a conservative district in Southwest Florida).

“If you vote yes for this, I want to that say you’re basically sending us back 20 years. If you feel comfortable voting yes, you have to understand that you probably will be in the same history as the people who created the Black codes, or the people who created Jim Crow-era laws,” said Jervonte Edmonds of Palm Beach County.

That brought a rebuke from Grall, representing Indian River and part of St. Lucie counties.

“I would ask you not to impugn members of this chamber,” Grall said. “To impugn members of based on a potential vote is not an appropriate use of debate time.”

The debate flowed along lines already seen in the Senate. Republicans accepted DeSantis’ argument that the plan — creating an 20-8 GOP-Democratic state delegation to Congress — observes U.S. Supreme Court precedents invalidating districts drawn with regards to race.

Democrats responded that the Fourteenth Amendment, federal Voting Rights Act, and Florida’s Fair Districts amendments, forbid “retrogression,” or eliminating minority representation. Additionally, Fair District protects against plans having the effect of retrogression, whether intended or not.

Rayner was the first debater to draw links to Jim Crow — and the first chastised by Grall.

“What I’m not going to do is let this moment pass and not make a record. Because I have my mother’s blood and my father’s blood coursing through my veins. I have my ancestors’ blood coursing through my veins,” Rayner said.

“They have fought and come through too much to allow this House to abdicate their duty to a governor who has political ambitions. And yes, I said it, political ambition that’s not about the people.”

Ramon Alexander, representing Black-majority Gadsden and part of Leon counties, defended his colleagues. His district partly overlaps with an existing 200 mile district extending to Duval County that DeSantis has dismissed as a “racial gerrymander.”

The governor’s veto of the Legislature’s map, which included a similarly drawn district, would leave Black people in the state’s old plantation belt, voting in conservative, white-majority districts. It also would eliminate a Black-access district, in which Black people could heavily influence election outcomes. DeSantis’ does preserve four Hispanic-access seats in South Florida.

Alexander argued that his colleagues were simply laying down relevant facts about Florida’s history and the implications of DeSantis’ map.

“This is a very serious matter,” he said. “People may be offended by the words in this chamber — heck, I’m offended by the map.”

“I have no problem with discussing historical fact,” Grall replied, but “to tie members of this chamber and their votes to those events in history is inappropriate.’

“Let the record speak for itself,” Alexander said.

Republicans argued the governor raised a legitimate constitutional question about the validity of Fair Districts that the courts will have to resolve.

In addition, Randy Fine of Brevard County pointed to “the inherent racism in the concept that many of you support.”

“Guarantee that a group of people gets to select the candidates of their choice, what we’re saying is … we’re guaranteeing those who aren’t part of that group get no say,” Fine said. “Chew on that one.”

Fine also observed that it was the Democratic Party erected barriers to Black voting following Reconstruction. “It wasn’t the predecessors of folks in the front row,” he said, meaning Republicans.

The day before, the GOP-controlled Florida Senate easily voted to pass DeSantis’ congressional maps and several Black Democratic senators argued Wednesday against what’s happening. While they did not shut down the Senate chamber, several Black lawmakers spoke passionately about their concerns.

Sen. Bobby Powell, of Palm Beach County and a leader of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, told his colleagues, “I wake up, knowing in this process, that we have to continue to fight. And sometimes you get tired, right?

“Tired of the book bans, tired of the “Don’t Say Gay,” tired of the maps being changed, tired of the CRT (Critical Race Theory)… tired of wondering when I wake up in the morning, am I Black today, am I colored, am I a Negro?”

“What is my battle today?”