January/February 2022 Source Article

by Keyna Cory, 2021-22 Government Affairs Committee Chair

During the 2022 Florida legislative session, the members will have two constitutional required duties to perform.  The first requirement is to pass a balanced budget, which is required to be completed yearly. The second requirement comes around every 10 years and is called redistricting.

The Florida Constitution directs the Legislature to redraw district boundaries during the regular Session the second year, following each decennial census.

Why should you care?  Well, this process determines who will represent you in your city, county, Tallahassee and in D.C. 

Although the terms “Reapportionment” and “Redistricting” are frequently used interchangeably, there are a few differences.

Redistricting is the process by which boundaries of electoral districts are redrawn to adjust for uneven population growth revealed by the data from the 2020 Census. State Legislatures, County Commissions, and City Commissions redistrict.

Reapportionment is the process of assigning seats in a legislative body among established political subdivisions. Congressional seats are appointed to the states after each decennial census.

There are some rules on how redistricting works. For example, districts can’t be drawn with the intent of favoring a party or incumbent. Districts must be contiguous in nature: they can cross a body of water and be contiguous but can’t contact at a corner and be contiguous. 

Districts cannot deny or abridge the right of racial and language minorities to participate in the political process and shall be “as nearly equal in population as is practicable.”

Where feasible, districts will utilize existing political and geographical boundaries. And districts should be compact.

Florida saw a growth of 2,736,877 people from 2010 to 2020, approximately a 15% increase.

The fastest-growing U.S. metro area between the 2010 Census and 2020 Census was The Villages, FL, which grew 39% from about 93,000 people to about 130,000 people.

Osceola County had the largest county growth rate at 45%, growing approximately 120,000 people from 2010 to 2020.

In the 2020 Census, Florida officially passed New York to become the third-largest state in the Union.

With the increase in population, legislative districts need to grow as well.  For example, current State Senate districts have 538,455 residents of voting age. Now they need to increase by 68,422.  State House districts have 179,485 residents of voting age.  House districts need to increase by 22,807.  Voting age includes all residents 18 years of age and older.

It will be an interesting process to watch during the 2022 session. Individual legislators will have their own ideas on how to draw the maps, while a variety of interest groups will want their maps to be considered.

The legislators need to complete the session by March 11th.  Once the maps are approved by the legislature, the Florida Supreme Court needs to review the maps and make sure the legislature followed the rules, such as not favoring a party or incumbent. Districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice. If the Court believes the legislature violated any of the rules, then the maps go back to them so that they can be amended.

The 2022 legislative session has begun. Pay attention to this important issue in addition to those crucial issues for your organizations as early as possible.

Keyna Cory is the Executive Director of the FL Recycling Partnership Foundation. Keyna is currently serving on the FSAE Board of Directors and is the Chair of the 2021-22 Government Affairs Committee.