By Dan Sweeney
A Leon County judge will let you know within the next two weeks who your congressperson is. And in South Florida, a lot of people will see a change.
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis’ decision on congressional redistricting will also impact who your state senator is. The Florida Legislature is about to redraw state Senate districts and which map Lewis picks will send a signal to lawmakers about just how much meddling the court is willing to accept.
Redrawing these districts is usually a once-a-decade process, but voting-rights groups and others sued the Florida Legislature over its maps drawn in 2012. A quick fix approved by Lewis in 2014 failed to meet the approval of the Florida Supreme Court. That meant the Legislature had to redraw the congressional and state Senate maps. But they couldn’t agree on one in a special session so the ball is back in Lewis’ court. [Read More]