The Florida Legislature on Wednesday released six proposed new maps for state Senate districts before the start of a three-week Special Session on redistricting.
All of the staff-drawn maps, however, contain districts that cross Tampa Bay.
That runs afoul of direction the Florida Supreme Court gave in a similar case involving congressional districts to “avoid crossing Tampa Bay.”
Three Bay-area Senate districts, among others, were called unconstitutional gerrymandering by plaintiffs in a three-year-old lawsuit, brought by Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of Florida.
They also were among the parties to bring the congressional redistricting case.
The Florida Senate settled the case on their districts with what the plaintiff’s lawyer called a “remarkable” admission: That they knew their maps were gerrymandered to protect incumbents and favor Republicans.
In a memo to redistricting panel chairs Bill Galvano (Senate) and Jose Oliva (House), staff members said they “tried to faithfully apply one of two methodologies, and have drawn three maps that we believe reflect each of those methodologies.”
Those contrasting styles are “Keep Counties Whole and Districts Entirely Within Counties” and “Minimize The Number Of Times Each County Is Split Into More Than One District.”
“We believe each map complies with the relevant legal standards contained in the Florida Constitution and federal law, including the Florida Supreme Court’s recent interpretations,” the memo said, adding:
Each base map was developed solely by staff, in collaboration with counsel, and without the participation of any member of the Legislature. Since the drafting process began, no information concerning the details of any base map or its earlier iterations were provided to anyone other than the map drawing staff and counsel, and no legislator, political consultant, or member of the public has attempted to influence us in the drawing of the base maps. At no time was any political data considered outside the context of a functional analysis of a minority opportunity district.
Map drawing staff recorded every meeting where the drawing of district lines was discussed or conducted, including our meetings with counsel where we sought advice and counsel provided direction. We are in the process of assembling those recordings along with the drafts and artifacts from the base map drawing process and will post all of those materials for the members and the public as soon as they are available.
The Bay-area seats are held by Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican; Arthenia Joyner, the Senate’s top Democratic member; and John Legg, a Pasco County Republican.
Matthew Isbell, an elections data analyst who consults for Democrats, took to Twitter Wednesday, saying that “every single base map crosses the bay, a blatant effort to protect Brandes. Do not need to cross the bay to create a minority seat.”
An aide to Brandes said he was out of town and not immediately available for comment.
