Florida’s congressional districts map just got shaken up. Again.
On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that eight congressional districts be redrawn before the 2016 elections.
The Court found these districts were favoring “Republican party and incumbent lawmakers.” A voter-approved state constitutional amendment made gerrymandering illegal.
The Legislature is now required to redraw districts 5, 13, 14, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 “and all districts affected thereby,” the Court wrote. Additionally, any redrawing decisions must be made “in public view.”
Here's a close up of the affected districts in South Florida, their representatives and the areas they encompass.
Areas: Begins in Wellington and extends south through West Palm Beach municipalities, such as Greenacres, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. The district continues into Broward County in communities like Coral Springs, Parkland, and Margate.
District 22 – Lois Frankel (D)
Areas: Parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. These include Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lighthouse Point, Wilton Manors, Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, and Boca Raton.
District 25 – Mario Diaz-Balart (R)
Areas: Parts of Doral, Hialeah Gardens, extending west to Golden Gate near Naples.
District 26 – Carlos Curbelo (R)
Areas: All of Monroe County and a portion of southwest Miami-Dade County.
District 27 – Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)
Areas: Much of Miami-Dade County, Hialeah, extending south of Homestead.
For more on redistricting in Florida, visit flsenate.gov.
