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redistricting - page 5

House lawyer: Congressional districts don’t need to be perfect

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The outside lawyer for the Florida House of Representatives argued in a legal brief against a set of suggested congressional district boundaries in part by saying there’s no legal requirement “to create the ‘best’ possible districts.” George Meros, a Tallahassee attorney who also represented then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential recount, says the court “should adopt the House Map.” Briefs were filed in advance for Tuesday afternoon’s oral arguments before the Florida Supreme Court in the congressional redistricting challenge. Meros’ brief criticizes…

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Supreme Court to consider changes to Florida’s congressional districts

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A long-running legal battle over the fate of Florida’s political landscape is going back before the state Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court will hold a Tuesday hearing on what boundaries should be adopted for the state’s 27 congressional districts. The high court in July threw out Florida’s current districts because they violated the Fair Districts measure adopted by voters. But the House and Senate deadlocked during an August special session over a replacement map. Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has…

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Redistricting chairs agree to go back to House-approved map

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The Legislature’s two redistricting chairs hastily agreed Thursday on a map the House passed earlier this week as the one lawmakers should adopt to redraw the state’s Senate districts. It’s the same map that senators already had rejected to force this week’s conference process between House chair Jose Oliva and his Senate counterpart, Bill Galvano. In a one-and-a-half-minute long meeting, the two concurred on the House map. That map was passed by a vote of 73-47, with all Democrats in opposition and some Republicans joining…

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Pay no attention to the redistricting maps behind the curtain

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

There is no shortage of rumors, guesses and predictions about what map – if any – will ultimately pass the Legislature. Seriously, I am pretty sure I have heard every scenario, theory and vote count. I have listened to some of the brightest and best-informed politicos postulate and prognosticate about what the next few days will bring. And it is, I must admit, pretty cool that folks who didn’t know a census tract from a racetrack are now discussing the…

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House, Senate seek to bridge differences on Senate districts

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The Florida House and Senate are trying to work out their differences on political boundaries for state Senate districts. The Senate decided Wednesday to go to conference with the House after the two chambers approved different maps for the 40 Senate districts. During a meeting Wednesday night, Senate Chair Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, brought up concerns raised during Wednesday’s Senate session about how the House-approved map has certain districts drawn in Lake, Duval and Miami-Dade counties. After brief discussions, Galvano and…

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Matthew Isbell: New coalition maps, DLP’S amendment, Oliva’s plan, and where things currently stand in redistricting

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A good deal has happened with the ongoing redistricting saga during the past several days. The state Senate passed its proposed districts with a controversial amendment attached. The House redistricting committee passed their own amended version of the map, and the coalition plaintiffs now have put forward three proposals. We’ll now look over each development. Coalition maps Last week, the coalition plaintiffs, who are suing the state Legislature over its state Senate district lines, released its first proposal for the…

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Today on Context Florida: Happy endings, bad reviews, black bears and no joy in Tallahassee

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

Today on Context Florida: On Tuesday night, Tom O’Hara heard two attorneys at the heart of the redistricting fight tell a riveting tale that has a happy ending. Dan Gelber, a prominent Florida Democrat, and Ellen Freidin, the woman who is primarily responsible for the state constitutional amendments that guarantee fair districts, told a story about how determined citizens can overcome brute political power. Heather Gibson, who serves as marketing director for the UCF School of Performing Arts, believes it’s critical…

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