Redrawn Fla. Senate Map To Be Submitted To High Court
A redrawn Florida Senate re-districting map is being sent to the state's highest court.
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A redrawn Florida Senate re-districting map is being sent to the state's highest court.
After a debate that lasted barely an hour, the Florida House approved a new Senate redistricting plan over the objection of minority Democrats, who argued the play was little better than a plan rejected by the Florida Supreme Court.
With the new Senate maps expected to easily pass the House next week, before the March 30th end of the special session, lawmakers in the upper chamber and potential candidates for those seats are beginning to evaluate their electoral futures. A number of South Florida Senators could be affected.
The well-organized Senate redistricting process that produced a bipartisan vote for the first draft of the chamber's map now appears to be fraying, with Republican infighting prompting the majority to delay a committee vote on the plan that was scheduled for Tuesday.
The Florida Senate Reapportionment Committee is going back to work Tuesday to create yet another new redistricting map.
Five days after wrapping up their second session, lawmakers are back in Tallahassee to take a second shot a legislative redistricting.
In a pre-emptive move, the Florida Legislature has filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Washington, D.C., in case the Justice Department rejects its redistricting plans.
Florida legislators will return to the Capitol on Wednesday, less than a week after the final day of the regular session after Gov. Rick Scott called a 15-day extraordinary session so lawmakers can redo redistricting.
Just hours before adjourning the 2012 session of the Florida legislature, lawmakers learned they will barely have time to go home and see the kids before heading back to Tallahassee, after Gov. Scott called a 15-day extraordinary session beginning Wednesday to deal with a redistricting plan rejected by the Florida Supreme Court.
The Florida Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling Friday over plans to redistrict the Florida House and Senate.
The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday over redistricting maps the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature has drawn for itself, less than two weeks before the March 9 deadline for the justices to rule.
The next stop for the Legislature's once-a-decade redistricting plans will be a Tallahassee courtroom after Governor Rick Scott signed the plans Thursday afternoon.
The bill hasn't even been signed by Governor Rick Scott yet, but lawsuits have already been filed over the legislature's once-a-decade redistricting maps.
The maps that will change the face of Florida politics for the next decade by re-writing Florida legislative and congressional districts are up for votes Friday in the Florida House.
State economists said Thursday that there should be modest growth in tax collections this year, but not nearly enough to make a difference with the state's nearly $2 billion deficit.
Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos opened the 2012 legislative session Tuesday by warning lawmakers that budget cuts are coming to even the most "beloved" programs.
The 2012 Florida Legislative session begins in earnest Tuesday, but, it may be a lean year for many major policy changes as candidates begin their push for re-election.
The House and Senate committees tasked with redrawing the state's political boundaries each took a step closer to approving new legislative and congressional maps.
Most people know that you must be a US Citizen to vote, but apparently, that message missed one Central Florida state legislator. A member of the committee that is overseeing the drawing of new congressional districts, he's demanded the process be held up until it's certified hispanic voters there are legal.
Florida's increasing population may mean the state could pick up two more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, early projected figures from the U.S. Census bureau shows.
