Special Session on Redistricting Next Week
The Florida legislature wrapped up its 2012 regular session yesterday, but they’ll be back next week for a special session on redistricting. Just as the session was wrapping up, lawmakers learned that the Florida Supreme Court rejected the newly drawn Senate districts by a 5-2 vote. The Court approved the House plan. This means the legislature will need to come back, which they’ll do starting March 14.
The Supreme Court’s decision was its first under new anti-gerrymandering standards adopted by voters in 2010. Justice Pariente, writing for the majority, said the Senate plan is “rife with objective indicators of improper intent. . .” Although no one indicator was enough to throw out the plan, the majority found the cumulative effect of concerns with the district lines showed a “clear pattern” of improper intent in drawing the lines.
Chief Justice Canady disagreed, arguing that the majority based its decision on “nothing more than suspicion and surmise.”
Senate president Mike Haridopolis pointed out that the court agreed with 80 percent of the districts drawn and indicated that the Senate will review the districts with the Court’s guidance in mind. One challenge, however, is that the offending eight districts are spread throughout the state and adjusting them will necessarily affect other districts.