House Democrats are scoffing at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest proclamation calling for a Special Session in April on congressional redistricting.

Both House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Rep. Bruce Antone, ranking member of the House Redistricting Committee, maintain that a mid-decade redrawing of political boundaries violates both Florida law and the state constitution.

“No matter what DeSantis says, this is an illegal partisan gerrymander happening because Donald Trump asked for it,” Driskell said at a press briefing. “Trump wants to rig the Midterm Elections to prevent the American people from holding his administration accountable.”

Antone, in a separate interview with Florida Politics, said Democrats in the House unanimously opposed drafting new cartography absent any court finding a problem with Florida’s current congressional map.

“The Florida Constitution says we should draw once every 10 years,” he said. “I do not know any instances where the Legislature has drawn maps without being prompted by a court decision. I think we have done that three times when required to redraw maps, but just coming up on our own and redrawing maps? I don’t think it’s legal. I don’t think it’s wise.”

He noted that the precedent of going through with a mid-decade redistricting would open the door to a new Governor elected later this year to call for crafting new political boundaries before the 2028 election.

Besides the precedent of Florida only scheduling redistricting historically after the decennial census, Driskell pointed to the Fair Districts Amendment passed by voters in 2010.

“The Fair Districts Amendment to the Florida Constitution outlaws drawing maps to benefit one party over another, and that’s exactly what Trump has asked the Legislature to do,” she said.

“People should pick their politicians. Politicians should not pick their people. Florida’s government should not be rigging elections. That’s what they do in places like Cuba and Venezuela, not America. This is a cynical swamp like behavior that makes people hate politics, and Florida doesn’t have to do this, period.”

Of note, DeSantis said he wanted to bring Alex Kelly, Florida’s Commerce Secretary and the former Deputy Chief of Staff who drew Florida’s congressional map in 2022, into the process. The Governor in 2022 vetoed maps produced by the Legislature before strong-arming passage of the Kelly map and signing it.

But Driskell suggested DeSantis holds less leverage than he did in 2022 — and enjoys less political capital. She pointed at friction throughout the 2025 Legislative Session between DeSantis and Speaker Daniel Perez, and said House leadership owes the Governor no favors.

“This Governor is a lame duck. We’re heading into the final Legislative Session, at least the last Regular Session, where he will be Governor,” Driskell said.

“We know that his national star has dimmed. We know this is a Governor who’s been so obsessed with his own political ambition, that he will do anything or say anything, and he doesn’t care about the consequences and who it hurts in the state. And we also saw a prior Legislative Session where there was more of a separation of powers and checks and balances, particularly with the Florida House drawing very clear lines in the sand about what we would and would not do.”

Perez’s Office, for what it’s worth, said the Speaker learned of DeSantis’ Special Session proclamation on Wednesday morning ahead of the Governor’s announcement but offered no further comment. Earlier this week, Perez told Florida Politics in a statement: “Members can expect the process will unfold thoughtfully, deliberately and transparently.” He has signaled a desire before to address redistricting during the Regular Session.

Antone said he expects that any maps produced by Kelly or anyone in the Governor’s Office will be looked at, but he hopes it will at the least be considered alongside other maps produced in the Legislature. But he said he also wonders if any maps will be produced in Florida at all or if Republican cartographers in Washington will draw their own lines.

“I would just say people need to pay attention now,” Antone said. “With all of the craziness, people need to be paying attention to politics, to how we are being governed, to how maps are being drawn and to how parties gain power.”

Driskell acknowledged, though, that Democrats hold less leverage than in other states. While Texas Democrats last year fled the state to stall approval of a new congressional map there, such a move wouldn’t matter in Florida when Republicans hold supermajority status in the House and Senate.

But Democrats have pursued court battles regarding redistricting. Driskell noted an ongoing federal case challenging the lines for Florida’s 26th Congressional District in Miami.

Of course, Democrats in Washington have suggested they will gain enough seats to retake the U.S. House regardless of GOP shenanigans in Florida and other states. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to date announced four GOP-held seats in Florida as “districts in play” this November.

Driskell echoed that optimism, and said if Republicans push to make too many Democratic seats more competitive, a resulting “dummymander” may result in Democrats knocking out GOP incumbents who currently represent relatively safe districts.

“I just want to be very, very clear that even if there’s the potential for Democrats to gain seats, I don’t want us to gain them in this way,” she said. “For the Legislature to go through a mid-decade redistricting cycle in service of Donald Trump and in service of keeping a majority in the Congress is wrong. It’s illegal and it’s unconstitutional. So even though that would be a possibility, I wouldn’t want us to have to win it that way.”

The state is giving nearly $168 million to small and rural counties, primarily to improve infrastructure in areas hit hard by hurricanes last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

One of the biggest winners was Taylor County in the Big Bend region, which will receive $36 million out of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery and the Rural Infrastructure Fund. Taylor will get $4.9 million for a special needs ceremony, the Governor highlighted.

The city of Perry in Taylor County, will receive $12 million for a new parallel treatment train, $8.5 million to replace current wastewater infrastructure, and $4.5 million to create an independent water source, according to DeSantis.

Meanwhile Doctors’ Memorial Hospital in Perry will receive $4.4 million to install a facility emergency power system, replace the phone and communication system and modernize the facility’s water treatment system.

“All these different things, huge for Perry, Taylor County Commissioners,” DeSantis said.

Cross City will get $32 million to build a new waste water treatment plant and another $5.7 million to upgrade stormwater drains.

The Governor said $7.3 million is earmarked to construct and harden the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District potable water system, while $4.5 million is for the Big Bend Water Authority to repair and replace critical water mains in Steinhatchee

Other grants ranged from $100,000 up to a few million dollars.

DeSantis joked that he was awarding so many grants, it was impossible for him to bring his giant ceremonial mock checks that he normally hands out at press ceremonies.

“There’s too many awards,” DeSantis said. “I’d be taking pictures until dinnertime. I can’t, I’ve got to get back. I’ve got meetings.”

At Wednesday’s press conference, DeSantis made splashier political news by announcing he plans to call an April Special Session on congressional reapportionment. DeSantis also teased another Special Session focused on eliminating property taxes.