Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly claimed that Florida’s heavily Republican congressional map was not drawn with partisan intent — but that doesn’t line up with the findings of a ProPublica investigation published this week.
ProPublica's reporting reveals that GOP operatives known for helping craft partisan gerrymandered maps in other Republican-controlled states were working with DeSantis’ staff as they were drawing Florida’s new map.
DeSantis was "frustrated" that the legislature’s map didn’t give Republicans a big enough advantage before he pushed lawmakers to pass his map, the reporting suggests.
The state constitution’s Fair Districts’ Amendments prohibit drawing maps in a way that intentionally benefits a particular party.
DeSantis’ map is facing lawsuits in federal and state court over its elimination of two of the state’s four Black-held congressional districts.
One of those is North Florida Democratic Congressman Al Lawson’s District 5. That district was carved up into four white-majority, Republican districts, wiping out the region's Black representation in Congress.
Plaintiffs suing in state court also argue the map was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
