Black House members raise concerns about DeSantis’ congressional map threatening Black voters

Some House members from the Florida Legislative Black Caucus raised concerns Wednesday about  proposed congressional maps, including a potential threat to Black voters in smaller districts across the state.

During the special session this week, state Rep. Ramon Alexander, a Democrat representing Gadsden and part of Leon counties, focused attention to Black populations that could be affected by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal on redistricting.

State Rep. Thomas Leek is chair of the House Redistricting Committee and a Republican representing part of Volusia County. He defended DeSantis’ version of the map during Wednesday’s special session in the House, saying it represents “an entire improvement of the map.”

Leek also told lawmakers on the floor Wednesday that Florida currently has three “Black protected districts” in the state but the governor’s proposal cuts it to two.

“In regards to the proposed map, there is only one county in the state of Florida that has a majority African-American population: Gadsden County,” Alexander said during questioning with Leek. (Gadsden is just west of the state capital in Tallahassee.)

“Does this proposed map, diminish those citizens from electing a representative of their choice?” Alexander said.

Leek said the court will “ultimately have to answer” to whether Gadsden residents would be negatively impacted by the proposed congressional map. “However, I do not believe Gadsden County has a population sufficient to constitute a congressional district, without knowing for certain,” Leek added.

Another Black Caucus member, Dotie Joseph, pointed to a “$1 million allocation” attached to congressional redistricting legislation, HB 1C, “which wasn’t in the maps we previously considered,” she said on the House floor.

HB 1C would allocate “$1 million from the General Revenue Fund” to the Florida Department of State for “any litigation expenses relating to legal challenges pertaining to the establishment of congressional districts for the State of Florida.”

“What’s the basis for that?” said Joseph, a Democrat representing part of Miami-Dade County. Joseph mentioned that the particular provision for the $1 million “didn’t go through appropriations committee.”

Leek replied: “Well first of all, the state was already going to have to pay for the litigation, regardless of whether we put it in this bill or not. The million dollar is a rough estimate of what it would cost for this litigation.”

House Democrats also filed amendments relate to the maps but they failed.

Meanwhile, the Florida Senate on Wednesday approved DeSantis’ plan to draw new congressional districts, which would offer 20 of the state’s 28 seats to Republicans and cut two Black “performing” seats. It now goes to a full vote in the state House on Thursday.

Following the veto of the Legislature’s original redistricting plan, DeSantis called a special session to push lawmakers to consider his version of a congressional map that accounts for population growth documented in the 2020 U.S. Census.