Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano calls the current redistricting situation he’s engrossed in the most challenging and difficult experience he’s ever worked on in his 13-year legislative career in Tallahassee.
The Bradenton Republican chairs the Senate Reapportionment Committee, and has been intricately involved with trying to work with House counterpart Jose Oliva in coming up with a newly redrawn map of the state’s 27 congressional districts.
After the Legislature ended their special session on redistricting without coming to an agreement on a newly drawn map last month, Galvano came up with a “compromise map” to assuage the concerns that House members had with the final Senate map. House Chairman Oliva essentially said thanks but no thanks, with the two sides still at loggerheads.
Ultimately, Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has been given the discretion by the Florida Supreme Court to review the maps that came out of both the Houses and Senate. He has scheduled a hearing for Monday, September 24.
Earlier this week House Speaker Steve Crisafulli rejected any attempt to have legislators — or at least House members — return to Tallahassee for yet another special session to work on a new map. In a letter sent to House members as reported by Florida Politics‘ James Rosica, Crisafulli wrote,” I do not believe we have fully resolved the fundamental differences that prevented the adoption of a map during Special Session.”
“It’s tough because we’re the test case for the (Fair District) Amendments 5 and 6,” Galvano says, referring to the passage of the two constitutional amendments in 2010 that required the Legislature to amend the state Constitution so that districts are compact, contiguous and rely on existing city, county and geographical boundaries.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled in July that the Legislature had violated the Constitution by gerrymandering eight of the state’s 27 congressional districts. “It’s one of the most unique circumstances I’ve ever encountered in my legislative career because everything is being done under the backdrop of the judicial system and we are operating within the confines of a judicial opinion,” Galvano said, referring to how the Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to redraw those eight districts within 100 days, which would be October 17.
Galvano said someone asked him if it now appeared that Judge Lewis was ultimately going to be the one drawing the map.
“I said, for the most part, the Supreme Court already has,” Galvano said. “That 172-page opinion was very instructive. So it’s different than anything I’ve ever experienced and, yes, it makes it more difficult.”
House leaders have said that the Senate map almost certainly would be ruled unconstitutional because it favors Hillsborough County at the expense of portions of central Florida.
