Florida's effort to redraw its congressional map ahead of the midterm elections faces an uncertain timeline after Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated Tuesday that a special legislative session scheduled for the following week might be postponed.
DeSantis told reporters in Tallahassee that any session would occur in the "coming weeks" rather than on the original schedule he announced in January. He acknowledged that proposed maps could see "tweaks," but suggested major changes were off the table.
"I haven't made any decisions on that, but the answer is it's possible you could do a little tweak, but you can't really push it very far," DeSantis said at an unrelated bill-signing event.
The postponement reflects a broader breakdown in relations between DeSantis and Florida's Republican-controlled legislature since his failed 2024 presidential bid. Sources involved in the redistricting process describe deep dysfunction within GOP ranks, with lawmakers reluctant to advance a map that DeSantis is pushing but that would not directly benefit them politically.
"No one is getting along. How can we pass a map when we can't get anyone to talk about a map?" said one longtime Florida Republican operative granted anonymity to speak frankly about internal divisions.
Less than a week before the session was supposed to begin, Florida Republicans had not finalized any map proposals. Multiple sources confirmed that basic groundwork for the redistricting effort remained incomplete.
"There just isn't a map that exists right now," said a person familiar with the process. "I don't think they have really been working on one until very recently. I don't know how this was going to work out."
Another Republican operative summed up the disconnect plainly: "It's pretty clear the only one who wants to do this is DeSantis, and he seems less and less prepared to do it."
The Map Question
Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida's 28 congressional seats. DeSantis has advocated for a redrawn map that could give the party between two and five additional seats, positioning Florida as a potential GOP opportunity in a midterm environment expected to be challenging for Republicans nationally.
Yet some state GOP lawmakers worry that aggressive redistricting could backfire. Recent Democratic successes in special elections across the country, including two state legislative races in Florida last month, have raised concerns about map-drawing that attempts to maximize Republican seats.
A consultant working for Republican-leaning causes in Florida modeled how an aggressive redistricting strategy could flip the script entirely. According to his analysis, such an approach might increase competitive congressional seats in the state from four to seven, producing zero net gain in Republican seats and potentially making districts more vulnerable to Democratic gains.
State lawmakers suggested they would likely comply with DeSantis' wishes if pressed, but without enthusiasm. "These guys at the state level generally don't really care about congressional redistricting," said a Republican adviser who works with state legislative Republicans. "It's not something they care about, but also a hill they probably won't die on unless that map is ridiculous."
Federal Interest
The White House has been monitoring Florida's redistricting developments, though without the level of direct involvement it has pursued in other Republican-led states, according to sources familiar with federal officials' thinking. The Trump administration and national Republicans view Florida as the last practical opportunity to gain House seats through mid-decade redistricting before November's general election.
Republican-controlled Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri enacted new congressional maps last month. Democratic-led states have responded aggressively. California voters approved a Democrat-favoring redrawn map, and Virginia Democrats are asking voters to do the same in a special election.
DeSantis dismissed suggestions that developments elsewhere might influence his timeline. When asked about the Virginia redistricting effort, he said he had no idea where reports linking the two efforts had originated.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., expressed general support for redistricting "if they can figure out a way to do it and do it fair," but stopped short of actively pushing lawmakers to proceed or specifying how aggressive any map should be. "They got to follow the Constitution and make fair districts," Scott said.
One national Republican operative who supports White House efforts remained confident that Florida would eventually pass new congressional lines. "They are going to get the job done," the person said, despite the current gridlock and delay.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "DeSantis controls Florida's government completely, yet he can't even get his own party to show up and work on his priority redistricting plan. That tells you everything about how much goodwill he's burned since losing the presidential race."
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