Florida Republicans are moving fast to redraw the state’s congressional map—and critics say it’s a blatant power grab aimed at keeping control of the U.S. House.
Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed this week that he’s “very seriously” considering asking the state Legislature to redo the map, claiming the 2020 census shortchanged Florida. “We got a raw deal,” DeSantis said. He’s even floated the idea of redoing the entire census under a future Trump administration.
DeSantis isn’t alone. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis posted on X: “Texas can do it, the Free State of Florida can do it 10X better.” He also called the state’s voter-approved Fair Districts amendments “unconstitutional,” claiming they violate free speech and state rights.
The push comes right after Texas Republicans released a new map that clearly favors their party. Now, Florida Republicans want to follow suit.
“It’s picking up steam,” said Florida GOP Chair Evan Power. “We were probably heading there with the court decision, but Texas made it top news.”
Last month, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a controversial map backed by DeSantis that wiped out a majority-Black congressional district in North Florida. That district had been held by Democrat Al Lawson. Now, the area is carved up between three Republican lawmakers.
But DeSantis isn’t stopping there. He’s aiming to go even further—possibly gutting other Democratic-held districts across South Florida and Central Florida, including those represented by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Lois Frankel, Kathy Castor, and Darren Soto.
If successful, Republicans could cement their current 20-to-8 advantage in Florida’s congressional delegation—or even expand it.
To make this happen, DeSantis is attacking the Fair Districts amendments that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2010. The amendments ban gerrymandering and require maps to protect minority voting rights.
“There’s a lot of people who believe that the Fair District Amendments is unconstitutional,” DeSantis said this week. “It mandates having race predominate. Whereas, neutrality should really be the constitutional standard.”
Democrats are calling it what it is: an attempt to rig the system.
“They want to pick their voters rather than voters picking their representatives,” said Rep. Darren Soto. “You’ll see us do whatever we can in the courts to make sure that the Fair Districts Amendments are enforced.”
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) posted a video backing Soto’s warning.
State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell didn’t mince words either. “It would mean that the governor and the state legislative branch would completely capitulate under Donald Trump,” she said. “It’s not supposed to be that the president gets to act like a king and say ‘do this on my behalf.’”
Republican insiders aren’t even hiding the political motivation. “Let’s not disillusion ourselves, if he pulls this off, he will be a fan favorite of one person who sits at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” said one GOP strategist, referring to Trump.
Patronis said it outright: “Time to add more conservatives to Congress, so we can better deliver on President Trump’s agenda, finally win the war against woke, cut government waste, and create an economy that moves our country into a new age of prosperity.”
So far, Republican lawmakers in the statehouse have kept quiet. But behind closed doors, the plan is gaining ground.
National Democrats are already sounding the alarm. DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus called the move “a bold-faced attempt to save their flailing midterm performance by rigging the game.”
The redistricting battle isn’t just happening in Florida. Republicans in Texas have already moved. Democrats in California and New Jersey are weighing their own changes. But in Florida, the plan is clear: redraw the map, tilt the scales, and lock in power before the 2026 elections.
And if DeSantis and the GOP succeed, it could reshape the U.S. House for years to come.
