STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday held a news conference in Steinhatchee, where he announced another round of state awards to fund rural infrastructure improvements and proclaimed a special session for even more redistricting.
The disbursements discussed Wednesday came to a total of around $167.5 million, DeSantis said while joined at Sea Hag Marina by Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly.
Regarding a special session for further congressional redistricting in Florida, DeSantis said it would happen in late April before a relevant Supreme Court decision.
“There’s a U.S. Supreme Court case that’s likely to say that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional. We have a couple districts that has been thought that the Voting Rights Act mandates racial gerrymandering, so that’s gonna force it one way or another and I don’t think it’s a question of if they’re going to rule, it’s a question of what the scope is going to rule, so we’re getting out ahead of that,” DeSantis said, going on to say purportedly-significant population shifts are another reason for new maps.
In tow, DeSantis also announced Wednesday that Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd was issuing a directive moving the qualifying dates for congressional candidates from April to June, giving the legislature about two more months before the qualifying period for the 2026 election cycle begins.
The Florida House had its first meeting of its select committee on congressional redistricting early last month as Florida seeks to join a national wave of redistricting efforts being instigated by President Donald Trump ahead of the midterms. Midcycle redistricting has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six that Democrats think they can win.
This follows how Florida already redrew its congressional maps in 2022, with DeSantis himself taking over what is typically a legislature-led process, vetoing the maps drawn by lawmakers and muscling through his own maps, which dismantled two traditionally-Black districts.
Responding to DeSantis’ announcement Wednesday, the Florida Democratic Party issued a statement calling the special session “a partisan and unnecessary move that will cost Florida taxpayers millions of dollars.”
“This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rig the system and silence voters before the 2026 election. Now, after gutting representation for Black Floridians just three years ago, Ron is hoping the decimation of the Voting Rights Act by Trump’s Supreme Court will allow him to further gerrymander and suppress the vote of millions of Floridians,” the statement reads. “What DeSantis is doing is reckless, partisan, and opportunistic – all things Floridians said redistricting shouldn’t be in 2010 when they passed the Fair Districts Amendment. He’s not responding to population growth, he’s responding to polls. Because he knows the Republican party is on the verge of losing its grip.”
In a news release from DeSantis’ office, the governor said the redistricting was necessary to “ensure that Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of our state” and repeated intent to “comply with an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling.”
“This Special Session will take place after the regular legislative session, which will allow the Legislature to first focus on the pressing issues facing Floridians before devoting its full attention to congressional redistricting in April,” DeSantis said.
Read DeSantis’ proclamation in the media viewer below:
Watch the news conference again in the video player below or by clicking here:
[VIDEO BELOW: DeSantis suggests ending tolls for Fla. drivers]
The Associated Press contributed to this report.