Florida gained a seat after the 2020 census. The new congressional map, drawn by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, likely gives the GOP an advantage in at least 18 out of 28 districts. Florida’s congressional delegation currently includes 16 Republicans.
A circuit court had previously blocked the map because the judge said it unconstitutionally disenfranchised minority voters by breaking up a north Florida district represented by Democrat Al Lawson, who is Black. The judge put in place a new court-ordered map that kept Lawson’s district intact. However, that decision was called unlawful by a state appeals court, and the DeSantis map was restored for the upcoming elections.
How it shifts voting power: There are two additional White-majority districts and one additional Hispanic-majority district under DeSantis’ map. The new map no longer includes a Black-majority district in the state, where Black residents represent 15% of the population.
Hispanic residents are still underrepresented under the new map: They represent the majority in 14% of districts but make up 26% of the state population overall. White residents are even more overrepresented than they had been under the previous lines. DeSantis’ new map sees White Floridians making up the majority in 68% of districts while representing 52% of the state population.
CNN’s Melissa DePalo, Eleanor Stubbs and Christopher Hickey contributed to this report.