DeSantis’ Florida map redraws the Legislature’s odds in the U.S. House

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a mid-decade congressional map designed to give Republicans up to four additional House seats by reconfiguring districts around Orlando, the Tampa Bay area and South Florida. The plan shifts parts of the 9th District toward rural counties and even to Vero Beach, reducing the district’s Hispanic share and creating a lone Democratic pocket around Maxwell Frost’s 10th District, while splitting Kathy Castor’s 14th and reshaping nearby districts to dilute Democratic strength and broaden GOP margins. Democrats vow to challenge the map as partisan gerrymandering, but the Supreme Court’s stance on the Voting Rights Act could complicate lawsuits; Sabato’s Crystal Ball flags several seat changes, though the final outcome depends on court rulings.