The Florida Legislature has recently granted Governor Ron DeSantis permission to draw new U.S. House district maps, which would give Republicans an advantage in upcoming elections for the next decade.

The last congressional map was vetoed by the governor because the map was said to have kept most districts largely the same, an idea that DeSantis disagrees with. Desantis considers the new maps to be out of line with his “unconditional” plan
to separate the majority-Black district, which stretches along the Florida-Georgia border from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, and is currently held by Representative Al Lawson.

Governor DeSantis,vocalized his disagreement with the previously made House map, stating that he would in fact make one greater to his satisfaction. Democrats, who are already greatly outnumbered in both the state House and State Senate, have very little power in stopping Republicans.

It’s quite disappointing that neither the Senate President, nor the Speaker of the House have come out to oppose DeSantis, taking account how powerful their voice would be in fighting against this cause.

DeSantis hopes to secure his position for reelection this year, possibly even for president and the redistricting falls in line with his political agenda.

His plan is beyond absurd. Especially since this is not something that has been done before. “This is a dangerous unprecedented move. The Florida legislature’s decision to cede this decennial process of redrawing lines for congressional
districts to Gov. DeSantis is undemocratic. People should pick their politicians, not the other way around,” said the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida on Twitter.

An earlier draft offered by DeSantis’s general counsel, Ryan Newman, would have eliminated Lawson’s district, which was fortunately slammed down by Democrats and Good Government Groups due to the power vested in Congress, allowing that part of the government to make laws, or change any previous ones.

The Governor is targeting the two seats held by Black Democrats, and stopping the re-election of an black candidate through the redistricting of these areas. This is beyond disheartening. Desantis, in not only planning to remove Lawson’s
Districts, but to replace his seat with Representative Val Demings , so that white voters would make up the largest portion of democratic voters. The governor plans to shove his partisan preferences onto the Florida map, which is unfair.

Hopefully, there will be more political representatives who will stand up against this dangerous act.