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Staff ReportsOctober 21, 2015

The state House and Senate have issued legislative calendar changes for the final week of 2015 Special Session C, which is set to end Nov. 6. The session was convened to amend Senate maps, ordered by a Florida Supreme Court judgment that found the upper chamber violated anti-gerrymandering laws. A number of scheduled hearing times […]

Jim RosicaOctober 21, 2015

State Sen. Tom Lee has emerged a lone voice of Republican dissent over the ongoing effort to redraw the Senate’s district map. Lee, a Brandon Republican and former Senate president, sits on the chamber’s redistricting panel that is meeting Wednesday. The morning part of the meeting was slowed down with technical and legal explanations. Essentially, however, […]

Ryan RayOctober 19, 2015

The Florida House of Representatives briefly gaveled into Session Monday and Speaker Steve Crisafulli told his 120-member chamber to expect to take a back seat to the state Senate, who like the House returned to Tallahassee this week for the third time this year. “Since the subject of this session is the Senate map, we’ve established […]

Ryan RayOctober 19, 2015

The House Democrats gathered Monday morning in the Capitol for their pre-Special Session planning period and media availability, where caucus leader Rep. Mark Pafford vowed that he and his 39-strong opposition party will not let up in applying pressure to Republican leaders who have overseen “catastrophic” dysfunction in Tallahassee. Pafford went on to diagnose the problem as a “lack […]

Ryan RayOctober 16, 2015

The office of Republican Majority Leader Sen. Bill Galvano on Friday released a detailed outline of the schedule lawmakers will follow as they redraw Senate maps in accordance with a consent judgement wherein the chamber admitted it violated the state constitution during the decennial redistricting process in 2011. A quick look at the schedule the majority leader wants […]

Jim RosicaOctober 14, 2015

The Florida Legislature on Wednesday released six proposed new maps for state Senate districts before the start of a three-week Special Session on redistricting. All of the staff-drawn maps, however, contain districts that cross Tampa Bay. That runs afoul of direction the Florida Supreme Court gave in a similar case involving congressional districts to “avoid crossing Tampa Bay.” […]

Ryan RayOctober 12, 2015

Sen. Oscar Braynon has filed the first proposed re-drawn Senate map under President Andy Gardiner‘s new redistricting regime, following a consent agreement under which the Senate admitted it violated state constitutional prohibitions against gerrymandering. Notably, the map does not feature a district which traverses the Tampa Bay, combining parts of St. Petersburg and Tampa by way of unpopulated […]

Staff ReportsOctober 5, 2015

Legislative staff announced on Monday afternoon the proclamation that officially sets up the third special Session of 2016. Lawmakers will meet in Tallahassee beginning at 12 p.m. Monday on October 19 to revise the state’s Senate districts pursuant to a related Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Legislature’s Congressional boundary lines back in July. […]

Peter SchorschAugust 24, 2015

In an announcement that will only further shake up campaign machinations across the state, Secretary of State Ken Detzner has issued a directive declaring 2016 a “year of apportionment.” That means all candidates for the Senate – including those set to term out in 2018 – can continue to collect campaign funds and collect petitions across the state, not […]

Ryan RayAugust 24, 2015

Sen. Oscar Braynon penned a letter to Senate redistricting guru Jay Ferrin late last week requesting the creation of a redrawn Senate map similar to the congressional “base map” the Legislature used as a lodestar during Special Session B. Braynon said he hopes a proactive approach will avoid the time crunch that exacerbated lawmakers’ inability to come to an […]

Tag: Senate redistricting
Las Vegas Strip transforms into a Grand Prix.

Legislative chambers revise schedule for final week of Special Session

Tom Lee’s dissent grows over Senate redistricting effort

Speaker Steve Crisafulli says Senate will (mostly) take the lead in redistricting Session

Democratic leader Mark Pafford vows to keep pressure on during 2016 Session

Senate Majority Leader outlines proposed schedule for redistricting Session

New maps for state Senate include districts crossing Tampa Bay

Oscar Braynon rolls out first Senate redistricting plan ahead of Special Session

Legislature issues call for third special Session of 2016

In directive, Florida elections chief declares it an “year of apportionment,” freeing up state Senate campaigns

Oscar Braynon wants Senate to get head start on remedial redistricting