Florida Legislature to vote on DeSantis' congressional map

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers will return to the Capitol Tuesday to begin a special session to approve a new congressional map after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the previous GOP-backed boundaries that preserved minority districts.

The work should be easy, given that Republican leaders have already conceded the once-a-decade process to DeSantis.

Much to the dismay of Democrats and voting rights groups, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson told lawmakers last week that neither chamber was going to try to draw a new map, but rather vote on the heavily pro-GOP map DeSantis gave them.

“They're giving up their right to make a decision and they are relenting to a governor who is essentially a narcissistic autocrat,” said Democratic state Rep. Michael Grieco during a Monday news conference.

The map DeSantis submitted would likely create more Republican seats than the maps approved by the Legislature. It would also likely reduce Black representation in Florida's delegation from four to two.

While DeSantis, who is a potential 2024 presidential candidate, said his map is “race neutral,” Black lawmakers say it is racist.

“To Gov. DeSantis, I'm not going to call what you're doing a culture war anymore, I'm going to call it just what it is: It's a racist tactic that you're doing. And you know what you're doing,” Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones said at a news conference with other Black elected officials and community leaders.

He said it will be an incentive to get people to vote when DeSantis is up for reelection in November.

“When you come for one of us, you come for all of us, and we will not allow you to dilute our districts with representation for your own political gain. You lose,” Jones said.

The governor's communications office...