Matthew Isbell: A deep dive into proposed Tampa Bay Senate maps

One major point of contention during the first week of the Special Session to redraw the Florida Senate seats has been the Tampa Bay area. Many spectators expected the Florida Senate to abandon efforts to cross the Tampa Bay from Pinellas to Hillsborough County, which they did in two districts in 2012. You can see this in the map below. The 19th district was used to create an African-American seat in the Tampa Bay region. Meanwhile, the 22nd district combined…