STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation on Wednesday to convene a special session of the Florida Legislature to redistrict Florida’s congressional map.
During a news conference in Steinhatchee, DeSantis said he wants the special session to take place in the “later part of April.”
Even though Florida’s 2026 legislative session starts next week, DeSantis said he wanted to wait for a possible ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could determine whether Section 2, a part of the Voting Rights Act that bars discrimination in voting systems is constitutional.
“We look forward to being able to work with the Legislature to get that across the finish line. I know there’s a lot of people who are excited in both the House and the Senate to be able to do it, so they’re going to get their chance to do it, but realistically, you can’t do it now,” DeSantis said.
Press play above to watch DeSantis’ remarks
DeSantis said officials also need to do a deep dive into the current population because “so much has changed” in the last years.
“We need to get a portion properly, and people deserve equal representation,” he said.
In December, Florida’s Republican-controlled House officially kicked off the first meeting of its select committee on congressional redistricting, as the state considers redrawing electoral maps amid a partisan battle for every edge in this year’s midterm elections.
The national wave of redistricting efforts was instigated by President Donald Trump, who hopes to buck the historical trend of the president’s party losing seats in midterms, and his allies are wagering that Florida could yield three to five more seats for Republicans. Each seat is crucial, because Democrats need a net gain of just three to control the chamber.
In 2010, more than 60% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the drawing of district boundaries to unfairly favor one political party in a process known as gerrymandering.