In Florida, congressional and state legislative districts are currently drawn by the state legislature, subject to a number of state and federal constitutional and statutory limitations. Under Article III, section 16, the legislature draws state legislative districts, and the governor has no opportunity to veto the plan; however, all maps are automatically reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. In the case of congressional districts, the governor may veto the proposed plan, but the governor may not veto the legislative plan.
Standards for both state and congressional districts are governed by Article III of the Florida Constitution. Florida recently submitted two amendments affecting redistricting to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance, as required by the federal Voting Rights Act. An explanation of these changes is included in the fact sheet below.
Read on, or download our fact sheet on Florida’s redistricting process.