By Opio Sokoni
The process to redraw Florida’s 28 congressional districts has created some red hot political and legal issues. Governor DeSantis has decided to play personal politics with at least three of the congressional districts. Two of those districts are historically Black districts currently held by Black Democrats, U.S. Reps. Al Lawson of North Florida and Val Demings of Orlando. The third is a special district that houses Disney World – a political enemy of the governor on several social issues. But it’s the ending of two of the four Black congressional districts in Florida that has people up in arms.
The Florida legislature convened a special session on Tuesday to finalize the state’s redistricting process. The special session was like a quarterback sneak that play as the congressional map drawn by the governor was advanced by two Republican-controlled committees. DeSantis’ plan reduces the number of Black voters in north Florida’s District 5 and Orlando’s District 10. The map was approved by a party-line vote in the Florida Senate by 24 to 15 on Wednesday.
Black access to the federal government via elected officials is a civil right seen as important for the state and country. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made sure to avoid future acts such as the one the Florida governor is ramming through. It was done in such a sneaky way that left little time for activists and lawmakers to fully weigh in.
Florida’s 5th District stretches from Tallahassee to Jacksonville (Duval County). If the plan goes forward, it becomes a racialized, gerrymandered Northeast Florida district encompassing the western half of Duval County plus Nassau and Clay counties. Jacksonville’s Black population will lose big. This highlights the need for a Black Caucus with a focus on unity and power.
The newly drawn district would still show Duval County with the largest share of voters. However, Clay County and Nassau County (Republican strongholds) would make the district attractive to white conservative politicians. Jacksonville’s white republican Mayor Curry is currently in the news as eyeing the new district for a run after his term is up. The primary would be on Aug. 23, 2023 and the general election in November.
DeSantis is plotting to also split up Black voters around the Orlando area as he works to create 20 Republican-leaning and eight Democrat-leaning seats. This would that kill the Dems’ national redistricting advantage – weakening the slim majority they have in the House of Representatives.
But, there maybe legal recourse and the governor knows this. His proposal to strip Blacks of access to power includes one million taxpayer dollars for legal action. Voters may become outraged with that alone. In the 2012 cycle, it is reported that the Legislature alone spent $11 million in litigation and attorney fees.
DeSantis did not like the maps that passed the Republican-controlled Legislature. That plan did not attempt to divide and conquer Black communities in North Florida. That proposal had already passed both chambers of the Florida legislature earlier this spring. Some Republicans were angry at the governor for now accepting that plan.
DeSantis hired a so-called Republican redistricting expert to create the governor’s map. This may be another legal area to stop DeSantis’ proposal because state law requires that the map have no partisan intent. The process alone should raise concerns. The hired republican redistricting expert failed previously in another state after a legal challenge.
The process is not race neutral on it’s face. Race neutral in a process controlled by white conservatives is not race neutral. Voting rights were passed to prevent this type of thinly veiled racialized redistricting scheme. When the state’s Supreme Court approved the 5th district, it did so stating that the 5th district protected the ability of Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice. This is important as it gives a political voice to Blacks having been historically shut out with similar racist, political strategies.
It was the work of former Congresswoman Corrine Brown who fought to create Black congressional seats over 30 years ago. She held one of the four Black seats for over 20 years. Congressman Lawson was originally supported over the outspoken Corrine Brown by Republicans and conservative Democrats. He has called the DeSantis map unconstitutional and an attempt to “erase minority access districts in Congress.”
If this all goes through, it will be time for Blacks to unify to support candidates that could win even in those conservative-leaning districts. The historical racism against Blacks in North Florida could make sending a Black person to Congress that cares about issues almost impossible. The Aug. 23 primary does not require the winning candidate to clear 50 percent of the vote to win the nomination. The biggest plurality of the votes will move the winner to a November general election. Still, activists have a chance to end this racial gerrymandering through the courts.
The Florida House is expected to pass the map on Thursday (at press time). DeSantis will sign it into law. Legal challenges may be at or too late for the November general election mentioned above.
[Opio Sokoni is the General Manager of the Florida Star and Georgia Star newspapers. He is also the owner of the Resource Scholars Show at www.resourcescholarsshow.com]
