Judge accepts Florida Senate District map

Right before New Years, Leon County Judge George Reynolds issued his ruling on the Florida Senate District Map. Reynolds rejected a map drawn for the Florida Senate by Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) and instead opted for a map drawn by a coalition of voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, who contended the […]

Right before New Years, Leon County Judge George Reynolds issued his ruling on the Florida Senate District Map. Reynolds rejected a map drawn for the Florida Senate by Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) and instead opted for a map drawn by a coalition of voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, who contended the current districts violated the Fair Districts amendment to the constitution.

In his 73-page ruling, Reynolds said the map submitted by Sen. Galvano intended to favor the Republican majority. Reynolds said the plaintiffs’ map best complied with a state constitutional amendment that, in part, calls on districts to be compact and adhere to existing city, county, and geographic boundaries when possible. The court-approved map is the most compact, has the same amount of split counties as in the Senate’s proposed map, and splits fewer cities than the proposed Senate map. The map also increases the number of Hispanic-performing districts in South Florida.

Republicans currently hold a 26-14 majority in the Senate. The new districts will likely lessen the majority held by Republicans. President Obama in 2012 won a majority of votes in 21 of the new districts. Because the map was redrawn, all 40 districts will be up during the November election, as opposed to the 20 seats that were supposed to be up. Reynolds recommendation now goes to the Florida Supreme Court, which has the final say on a new map.

News of the new map is also certain to set off some political dominoes as incumbent Senators and House members review the districts to determine their next courses of action.

Written by
admin
View all articles

About Us

The League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates represents 302 credit unions in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, with a combined total of $175 billion in assets and more than 11.6 million members. LSCU & Affiliates provides legislative and regulatory advocacy; education and training; cooperative initiatives (including financial education outreach); public messaging; information services; and business solutions.

LSCU Mission Statement

To create an environment that enables credit unions to grow and succeed.

LSCU Vision Statement

To be the trusted advocate and preferred source of information for credit unions.

If you need to reach us, e-mail communications@lscu.coop

Social Channels

Follow us on all major social media platforms.