Florida’s post-2020 congressional redistricting turned into a rare, governor-driven rewrite followed by nonstop litigation. After vetoing the Legislature’s first plan in March 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis called a special session. Lawmakers passed his map in April 2022 (ch. 2022-265). Within hours, voting-rights groups sued in state court, and a Leon County judge preliminarily enjoined use of the map due to its treatment of North Florida’s former District 5, but the First District Court of Appeal stayed and later reversed that injunction. In September 2023, the state trial court overturned the congressional map, but the appellate court reversed. In federal court, a three-judge panel allowed the map to remain in place for 2024. The state case continued, and in July 2025, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the map against “non-diminishment” claims under Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment, cementing the 2022 plan unless and until the Legislature revisits it.

By contrast, the state legislative maps followed Florida’s constitutionally scripted process. The Legislature adopted a 40-Senate/120-House plan by joint resolution in February 2022, triggering automatic review. On March 3, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court approved the maps, making them operative without gubernatorial signature. Subsequent challenges have been narrow: a three-judge federal court in Tampa tried a racial-gerrymandering suit focused on Senate District 16 around Tampa Bay in June 2025 and upheld the map in an August ruling.

Last updated: Oct 2025