Redistricting Special Session may be postponed

The Legislature is preparing for a potential delay on a redistricting Special Session. That’s according to a top House lawmaker and a legislative staffer close to the process.

Additionally, there appears to be little process on negotiating a state budget.

Legislative leaders said Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in January called the Special Session on congressional redistricting scheduled for April 20, has not produced any preliminary maps just a week ahead of the Session.

DeSantis previously said he wanted Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly — who as DeSantis’ Deputy Chief of Staff in 2022 and drew Florida’s current congressional map — to craft new lines before the 2026 Midterms. No drafts have been released since then, though.

Punchbowl News reported that DeSantis may be concerned about a redistricting vote scheduled in Virginia on April 21 on a referendum about a new map there. The Democrat-controlled state wants to toss its current cartography in favor of a map where Democrats would be favored in 10 of 11 congressional districts.

According to Punchbowl’s Ally Mutnick, DeSantis is “seriously considering delaying” the Special Session to see how that vote turns out.

While DeSantis has insisted redistricting must occur to address past and expected court opinions changing guidelines on minority representation, President Donald Trump has pushed Republican-controlled states to draw new maps to maximize GOP gains in the House in the Midterms.

Notably, DeSantis has urged lawmakers to anticipate a judicial ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, potentially on Friday, that could upend decades of precedent on interpretation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That could mean the end of minority-majority districts, such as those in South Florida represented by Democratic U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson.

Of note, the Legislature, pre-DeSantis, crafted congressional maps on its own. But the Senate this year has yet to even name a redistricting Committee, and a House Committee stopped meeting after DeSantis called the Special Session.

But beyond redistricting drama, budget negotiations between the House and Senate are still going nowhere weeks after the end of the Regular Session. When Florida Politics asked a staffer if it’s safe to plan travel for next Tuesday, the answer from a legislative leader was, “Next Tuesday is safe. The Tuesday after that is safe. All the Tuesdays in May are probably safe.”