Special Session delayed, expanded to include congressional redistricting, AI protections, medical freedom

Florida’s Special Session slated to start next week will be pushed back a week but will be expanded to include more subjects, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday.

The revised proclamation from the Governor’s Office stipulates that it will now run from Tuesday, April 28, 2026, through Friday, May 1, 2026, with three meaty topics to be considered: Congressional redistricting; consumer protections for artificial intelligence, known as the “AI Bill of Rights” during the Regular Session; and “medical freedom.”

The former subject was the sole subject of the Special Session that was to begin next week, the delay of which was teased in recent days by DeSantis himself.

He had previously pinned the need for a Special Session an impending SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which DeSantis believes will invalidate minority-access districts and necessitate a new map affecting the 2026 cycle, with an eye toward adding more Republican seats to the current congressional map that already has a 20-8 GOP advantage.

If this ruling proceeds as the Governor hopes, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 could be scuttled, and targets could include seats held by South Florida Democratic U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson in Florida’s 20th and 24th Congressional Districts, respectively.

The two new additions to the Special Session call incorporate priorities of the Governor and the Senate that the House did not take up, seemingly forcing the chamber’s hand amid the long-running feud between DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez.

The Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights, passed by the Senate by a 35-2 vote as SB 482, was intended to add new safeguards for students and vulnerable adults who might get confused by the technology. Identical legislation will be carried by President Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur.

“As you are aware, with an emphasis on safeguarding Florida’s children, the bill addresses current consumer transparency challenges, threats to child safety, and other potential impacts arising from technological advances in artificial intelligence,” writes Senate President Ben Albritton in a memo announcing the Special Session.

The “medical freedom” bill will be carried by Senate sponsor Clay Yarborough, who carried SB 1756 when it passed the Senate during the Regular Session.

It would require informed consent from parents about vaccines before administering, immunizing doctors from penalties and liability if they give out ivermectin and allowing pharmacists to do the same upon request, and allows the “conscience-based objection” to childhood inoculations.

“The bill also makes permanent Florida’s existing ban on discrimination based on a person’s mRNA vaccination status and protects Floridians from forced vaccinations during emergencies,” Albritton writes.

The redistricting piece of the puzzle may be of most interest nationally though, given the slim Republican advantage in the House and GOP pessimism about Democratic strength in November, with their voters expected to be more energized than GOP stalwarts.

In 2022, DeSantis’ Office drew Florida’s congressional map, one approved by lawmakers after DeSantis vetoed a map produced by the Legislature during the Regular Session.

Albritton says “the Senate is not drafting or producing a map for introduction during the special session” and that he expects a proposal from the Governor’s Office to be provided at some point. Staffer Jay Ferris will be the point person in the Senate President’s office for this process.

Sen. Don Gaetz will be the official sponsor of the new map once it is transmitted, Albritton said, with the Governor’s Office presenting the proposal to the Senate Rules Committee on April 28.

Albritton urges Senators to be mindful of the heightened scrutiny around this process.

“As a reminder, Senators should be aware that in prior cycles, significant litigation has followed passage of new maps. 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,” he writes.

Senators are to “insulate themselves from partisan-funded organizations and other interests that may intentionally or unintentionally attempt to inappropriately influence redistricting.” Additionally, they are urged to preserve records relative to the process, including “correspondence, emails, texts, and other electronic communications related to the enactment of new districts, whether sent or received on official Senate accounts or devices or personal email accounts or devices,” given the likelihood of litigation and related discovery.

Some speculate that a new map could hurt Republicans more than it could help them, including current incumbent U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez, Greg Steube and Daniel Webster who fret that their safe seats could be in play.

Republican consultant Alex Alvarado wrote in an analysis for the Civic Data and Research Institute that, according to modeling, aggressive redistricting would raise the number of competitive seats from four to seven but wouldn’t give Republicans any net gain.

Even with this triple-header approach to the revised call, two major priorities will be delayed.

A prospective Special Session to create a constitutional amendment that could reveal homestead property taxed that was teased by the Governor is still, at least in theory, forthcoming.

And the state must pass a budget by July 1, a process that has seen no public work between the Senate and House in reconciling gaps that have existed for months.

These will be issues, it is clear, for May and June consideration.