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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are gearing up for a rare mid-decade redrawing of the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections — a move Democrats are blasting as unnecessary, expensive, and politically motivated.

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House Speaker Daniel Perez announced this week the creation of a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, tapping Miami Republican Rep. Mike Redondo to chair the panel. Redondo, who is in line to become House Speaker after the 2030 election cycle, did not serve in the Legislature when Florida’s congressional maps were last drawn in 2022.

Other Republicans named to the committee include Reps. Jessica Baker, Kim Berfield, Nan Cobb, Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Patt Maney, Jenna Persons-Mulicka, and Will Robinson. Democrats appointed to the committee include Reps. Bruce Antone, Kevin Chambliss, and Johanna López.

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Democrats Push Back

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried sharply criticized the move, accusing Republican leadership of prioritizing political power over addressing real issues like Florida’s affordability crisis.

“The decision to launch a mid-decade drawing of congressional maps is unnecessary and expensive. This is a backroom power grab from Republican politicians,” Fried said in a statement.

“Voters didn’t ask for this. Instead of tackling the affordability crisis Floridians are facing every day, Republican leadership is trying to protect their congressional Republicans from the fall out of the Big Ugly Bill. Florida Democrats will continue to fight for fair representation and ensure Floridians’ voices are not silenced at the ballot box.”

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A National Trend

Florida’s move is unusual — redistricting typically only happens once a decade following the U.S. Census — but not unprecedented. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed new congressional maps into law that created three additional districts favorable to Republicans after President Donald Trump carried them in 2024.

Trump has openly encouraged red states to redraw lines ahead of the 2026 midterms, hoping to blunt the historical trend of the president’s party losing congressional seats during midterm cycles. Meanwhile, Democrat-led states like California and New York have considered retaliatory redistricting to bolster Democratic-leaning seats.

DeSantis and Perez in Alignment

This latest push places Perez and Gov. Ron DeSantis on the same page. Both have promised to deliver new congressional maps during the upcoming legislative session.

Earlier this year, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a DeSantis-backed map first passed in 2022, while also offering a new interpretation of the “diminishment clause” in Florida’s Fair Districts constitutional amendment. That ruling has emboldened Republican leadership to pursue another redraw despite it not being constitutionally required.

Still, the Florida Senate has yet to announce any similar redistricting moves.

What’s Next

The Select Committee’s work could reshape Florida’s political landscape for years to come, especially as national Republicans and Democrats alike look to the Sunshine State as a key battleground in 2026 and beyond.

For now, Democrats are bracing for a fight, promising to challenge the maps both in the Legislature and, if necessary, in the courts.

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