Ron DeSantis says Florida ‘gypped’ out of congressional seat, wants another census and redistricting

Gov. Ron DeSantis presided over a very favorable congressional map for Republicans during the 2022 Session. But he’s telling reporters he’s ready to take another pass at a map.

The Governor says Florida was “gypped” out of a seat due to what he sees as an unfavorable census under the Joe Biden administration. Offering commentary on a bill called “Make American Elections Great Again” that will be sponsored by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Governor said that he supports the bill’s proposed exclusion of noncitizens from census counts.

And he wants a snap census if the bill passes.

“I would love for them to redo the census for ’26. My Legislature will redistrict those lines, we’ll get it to where it’s fair. But as it’s right now, this country is not fairly apportioned,” DeSantis said. “I’ve got so many more millions of people in Florida that don’t have representation because of that flawed census.”

DeSantis added that California would lose “five seats” under a fair census, and said Biden’s census “gypped Florida out of at least one seat.”

“We only got one seat in the last census. Are you trying to tell me that Florida only had one seat on that? We should have had at least two. Texas should have had another one. That could be the difference in the House of Representatives and the majority,” DeSantis said.

Florida’s map adopted in 2022 took what was a purple state and made it decidedly red via creative mapping that cracked districts like Jacksonville’s former 5th Congressional District, giving Northeast Florida two Republican seats.

DeSantis vetoed the Legislature’s maps that maintained a Black access district, telling them to “pass something that will get my signature.”

DeSantis’ Office drew Florida’s congressional map, one approved by lawmakers after DeSantis vetoed a map produced by the Legislature during the Regular Session.

The current congressional map has 20 Republicans in Congress, up from 15 before. The state gained a seat in reapportionment, taking the state from a 15-12 split to a 20-8 GOP advantage.

When he was a presidential candidate back in 2023, DeSantis took credit for laying the groundwork for a Republican congressional majority.

“We helped elect four additional Republicans to the U.S. Congress and we probably wouldn’t have the majority if that hadn’t happened,” DeSantis said.