According to The Floridian, Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging Florida lawmakers to return to Tallahassee next spring for a special session to redraw the state’s congressional map. This move could shake up the political power structure ahead of the 2026 midterms and carry major implications for Black and marginalized voters across South Florida.
DeSantis will need support from both chambers of the state legislature to move forward. The House’s redistricting committee is scheduled to meet later this week. However, the Senate has yet to establish a formal redistricting working group. Senate President Ben Albritton met with the governor Tuesday to discuss the timeline, according to a Senate spokesperson who spoke to Spectrum 13 News.
In the 2024 election cycle, data from WLRN show that Black voter turnout in Miami-Dade — and Broward — lagged behind white voter turnout by roughly 13 and 8 percentage points, respectively. Overall participation in Miami-Dade in 2024 also declined. CBS reported about 72.35% of eligible voters cast ballots, down from previous cycles.
Voting-rights and civil-rights organizations argue that the plan may defy the state’s own safeguards. The state’s “Fair Districts” amendments explicitly bar lawmakers from drawing maps that favor a political party or incumbent. Advocates warn the proposed redistricting session could reopen wounds from the last round of map fights — especially for Black voters in Miami-Dade, Broward, and across the state whose districts were reshaped in 2022 in ways critics say weakened their electoral influence.
Republican leaders have stated that Florida is simply joining a growing national effort to redraw political lines. At least six other states are revisiting their maps, encouraged by President Donald Trump, who first urged GOP-led legislatures to redraw districts in summer 2025.
“It will end in two very partisan draws in red and blue states, I would imagine,” said Florida GOP Chair Evan Power in a Spectrum 13 News article. “But that’s what they’re trying to do in California, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois.”
In Miami-Dade and other South Florida counties, Black communities and voting-rights groups will have only a narrow window to organize, mobilize and make their voices heard before lawmakers begin drawing new lines.
Residents who want to follow the process or voice concerns can contact their representative in the Florida House of Representatives. The Housing Redistricting Committee will distribute a full schedule soon.
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