Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he will call a special legislative session in late April to redraw Florida’s congressional districts, joining other states in a mid-decade redistricting push.
DeSantis made the announcement at a press conference in Steinhatchee, where he said the state is waiting for a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais before moving forward. The case concerns Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bars discrimination in voting systems.
“I don’t think it’s a question of if they’re going to rule. It’s a question of what the scope is going to be,” DeSantis said. “So, we’re getting out ahead of that.”
He added that population changes over the last several years also make it important to redraw districts properly. “We also need to see (how) our population has changed so much in the last four or five years … we need to get apportioned properly, and people deserve equal representation,” DeSantis said.
The regular Florida legislative session begins next week, running from January 13 to March 13, but the special session would focus exclusively on congressional maps. The timing may affect the candidate qualifying period for congressional races, currently set for late April, and could overlap with the Florida House’s existing redistricting schedule.
Redrawing congressional districts in Florida carries national political stakes. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 House seats, while Democrats hold eight. New district lines could help Republicans maintain or expand their majority in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Mid-decade redistricting has already occurred in other states, with Republicans eyeing additional seats in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, while Democrats hope to gain seats in California and Utah. However, these new maps are facing legal challenges, and their impact on the 2026 elections remains uncertain.
In 2010, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment banning gerrymandering that unfairly favors one political party, adding a legal layer to the process.
