Ben Albritton says there’s ‘no ongoing work’ in Senate regarding mid-decade redistricting

Senate President Ben Albritton said his chamber has no plans right now to work on mid-decade redistricting.

Albritton sent a memo late Wednesday afternoon on the eve of the House’s redistricting meeting.

“As you are aware, there has been an ongoing national conversation about redistricting. I wanted to be clear about my perspective and offer some guidance on this matter,” Albritton said in the memo. “The Governor has expressed a desire to address this issue next Spring. As such, there is no ongoing work regarding potential mid-decade redistricting taking place in the Senate at this time.”

He warned that newly drawn maps are often heavily litigated.

“The Florida Supreme Court has previously limited the scope of legislative privilege when it comes to redistricting. Sitting legislators may be compelled to produce records or be subject to questioning under oath about conversations with colleagues, with legislative staff, or with outside parties who may attempt to persuade the Legislature to pass maps that favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.”

Albritton’s memo comes as the White House is pressuring red states to redraw their maps to maximize the Republican advantage ahead of the Midterms.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is also pushing for Florida to get more congressional seats. DeSantis said this week he plans for now to leave it up to the Legislature for a mid-decade redistricting.

“There’s nothing that anyone on my staff has done with respect to actually doing a map,” DeSantis said as he calls for a Special Session in 2026 to focus on redistricting.

Albritton left the door open to the Senate posture changing ahead of a possible Spring Special Session.

“As we move forward, I am continuing to monitor legal developments that could impact Florida and will certainly keep you apprised of any updates to the status I have outlined here,” he added.

Meanwhile, the House Congressional Redistricting Committee is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The meeting is expected to draw lots of public comment. The League of Women Voters is sending busloads of citizens to oppose any mid-decade redistricting.