Update on Preclearance Submissions for Redistricting

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) “precleared” (approved) Florida’s enacted state house, congressional and state senate maps.  Click here to see the approval letter from DOJ.

What is preclearance?  Five Florida counties are “covered jurisdictions under Section 5 of the Federal Voting Rights Act (Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough & Monroe counties).  As such, any redistricting or election law change that affects those five counties must be submitted for preclearance with either the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before it can take effect.  You can learn more at DOJ’s website at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/sec_5/about.php.

Florida Supreme Court Approves Revised State Senate Map

Last Friday, the Florida Supreme Court validated Florida’s revised state senate map, as redrawn by the Florida Legislature in a March 2012 extraordinary apportionment session.   Click here to read the April 27 opinion of the Court.  Note, the state senate map precleared is the same as the revised state senate map, as enacted by the Legislature on March 27 and validated by the Supreme Court of Florida on April 27.

Looking for More Information?

• Final state house map – PDF – Additional Maps & Resources – Download the KMZ for loading into MyDistrictBuilder
• Final state senate map – PDF – Additional Maps & Resources – Download the KMZ for loading into MyDistrictBuilder
• Final congressional map – PDF – Additional Maps & Resources – Download the KMZ for loading into MyDistrictBuilder
• MyDistrictBuilder^TM
• How to Save and View a Map in MyDistrictBuilder
• Legal Submissions & Resources
• Meeting Videos
• Meeting Transcripts
• Meeting Podcasts
• Meeting Briefings
• Press Releases & Email Update Archives
• Florida House’s Redistricting website – www.floridaredistricting.org
• Florida Senate’s Redistricting website – www.flsenate.gov/Redistricting

Filed under: Legal, MyDistrictBuilder, preclearance, collier, congress, florida, hardee, hendry, hillsborough, house, monroe, redistricting, senate

Update on the Extraordinary Apportionment Session

The Florida Senate released its first look at proposed revisions to the state senate map on Saturday.  You can check out the proposed changes (plan 9016) at http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Redistricting/Plan/s000s9016.  Get a quick view of the map with the Senate’s District Explorer at http://maps.flsenate.gov/de1/map.html?plan=s000s9016.

If you want to download the KMZ file for viewing in MyDistrictBuilder, click here.

As the Extraordinary Apportionment Session moves forward this week, the Senate will post subsequent amendments to the map at http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Redistricting/Plans.  So make sure to check back from time to time.

The Extraordinary Apportionment Session, pertaining to the state senate map, must conclude by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday,  March 28, 2012.

For reports on downloads regarding plan 9016, from the Florida Senate, click below:

• District Summary Population Report (PDF)
• District Statistics Spreadsheet (CSV)
• District by County – Shares of Population (PDF)
• District by County – Statistics Spreadsheet (CSV)
• District Demographic Profiles (PDF)
• District by Existing District – Shares of Population (PDF)

• Statewide Map (PDF)
• Northwest Area Map (PDF)
• Big Bend Area Map (PDF)
• Southwest Area Map (PDF)
• Northeast Area Map (PDF)
• East Central Area Map (PDF)
• Southeast Area Map (PDF)

Filed under: Committee Meetings, MyDistrictBuilder, Redistricting Bills, Timeline, apportion, congress, extraordinary, florida, house, redistricting, senate, session, special

Florida Senate Set to Finalize Maps

Florida Senate Set to Finalize State House, Congressional and State Senate Maps

Today, the Florida Senate is scheduled for an approximately 3:30 p.m. Session in which they are expected to concur with the state legislative and congressional redistricting maps, as approved by the Florida House on Friday, February 3.  The three maps are as follows:

State House Map: SJR 1176 (plan H000H9049)

• Bill Information
• Statewide Google Map
• Statewide PDF Map
• Redistricting Plan Data Report
• District by County – Shares of Population
• Census and ACS Summary Statistics CSV Spreadsheet
• Bill Analysis
• Download the KMZ File for use in MyDistrictBuilder
• Northwest Area Map
• Big Bend Area Map
• Southwest Area Map
• Northeast Area Map
• East Central Area Map
• Southeast Area Map

Congressional Map: SB 1174 (plan H000C9047)

• Bill Information
• Statewide Google Map
• Statewide PDF Map
• Redistricting Plan Data Report
• District by County – Shares of Population
• Census and ACS Summary Statistics CSV Spreadsheet
• Bill Analysis
• Download the KMZ File for use in MyDistrictBuilder
• Northwest Area Map
• Big Bend Area Map
• Southwest Area Map
• Northeast Area Map
• East Central Area Map
• Southeast Area Map

State Senate Map: SJR 1176 (plan S0009008)

• Bill Information
• Statewide Google Map
• Statewide PDF Map
• Redistricting Plan Data Report
• District by County – Shares of Population
• Census and ACS Summary Statistics CSV Spreadsheet
• Bill Analysis
• Download the KMZ File for use in MyDistrictBuilder
• Northwest Area Map
• Big Bend Area Map
• Southwest Area Map
• Northeast Area Map
• East Central Area Map
• Southeast Area Map

To learn more about how the process evolved to this point, check out the following resources:

• House Journal with Complete Remarks from the House Floor on February 2-3 (pages 13-125)
• History of Amendments Considered to Redistricting Legislation by the Florida House and House Committees
• House Office of Public Information: OPI Pulse – Redistricting 2012 (updated Feb 1, 2012)
• Video: The Role of Public Input in the Florida House’s Proposed Redistricting Maps (Jan 20, 2012)
• Video Library of Committee Meetings and Summer 2011 Public Input Meetings
• Podcast Library of Committee Meetings and Summer 2011 Public Input Meetings
• Email Update and Press Release Archives

Filed under: MyDistrictBuilder, On the Web, Public Participation, Redistricting Bills, Timeline, apportion, committee, congress, florida, house, mydistrictbuilder, participation, public, redistricting, senate

Visual Guide to All the Districts Approved by the Florida House

If you’re looking for a handy visual guide to all the state legislative and congressional districts approved by the Florida House, visit http://censusvalidator.blob.core.windows.net/mydistrictbuilderdata/Legislative%20Plans/Feb22012FloorHSCPresentation.pdf to download the presentation that Members of the Florida House viewed last Thursday on the House Floor.

Filed under: Redistricting Bills, apportion, congress, florida, house, redistricting, senate

Florida House Approves State Legislative and Congressional Maps

The Florida House of Representatives today approved House, Senate and Congressional maps.  The redistricting maps approved by the House of Representatives include:

• State House Map: SJR 1176 (plan H000H9049) – Google Maps – PDF map – Data and More Info
• Congressional Map: SB 1174 (plan H000C9047) – Google Maps – PDF map –Data and More Info
• State Senate Map: SJR 1176 (plan S0009008) – Google Maps – PDF map – Data and More Info

Filed under: Redistricting Bills, apportion, congress, florida, house, mydistrictbuilder, participation, public, redistricting, senate, weatherford

State House, Congressional and State Senate Maps Approved for the House Floor

Friday, the House Redistricting Committee approved House, Senate and Congressional maps to serve as Florida’s political boundaries for the next decade.  Click here to view the post meeting press gaggle with Redistricting Committee Chair Will Weatherford.

The three maps must still receive approval from the entire membership of the Florida House of Representatives.  The Florida Senate would also have to concur on the State House and Congressional maps.  The State Senate map is identical to the map approved by the Florida Senate.

The maps that passed the Committee are:

• State House Map: HJR 6011 (plan H000H9049) – Google Maps – PDF map – Blog – Data and More Info
• Congressional Map: HB 6005 (plan H000C9047) – Google Maps – PDF map – Blog – Data and More Info
• State Senate Map: HJR 6001 (plan S0009008) – Google Maps – PDF map – Blog – Data and More Info

When the full membership of the House convenes this Thursday and Friday, February 2-3, on the House Floor, the maps above will be considered for questions, amendments and debate. 

Last week, the House approved special procedures for the Redistricting Committee and the House Floor for redistricting amendments to ensure that members of the House and the public have an opportunity to view any amendments before they are voted upon.  Click here to view those special amendment procedures.

To learn more about the Florida House’s redistricting process thus far, check out the resources below:

• Video: The Role of Public Input in the Florida House’s Proposed Redistricting Maps
• Video Library of Committee Meetings and Summer 2011 Public Input Meetings
• Podcast Library of Committee Meetings and Summer 2011 Public Input Meetings
• House Office of Public Information: OPI Pulse – Redistricting 2012 (or see below)

Filed under: Committee Meetings, Public Participation, Redistricting Bills, Timeline, apportion, committee, congress, florida, house, public, redistricting, senate, weatherford

Redistricting Amendments Filed For The January 27 Committee Meeting

Listed below are 5 timely filed amendments to redistricting legislation for Friday January 27, 2012.  All of the amendments were submitted as a complete plan.  If you visit http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Redistricting/Redistricting2012.aspx, under the “Pending Amendments” section you will find maps and resources for each amendment.  Additionally, a summary of the amendments can be found by clicking here.

• State House map: Amendment 1 (H000H9049) to HJR 6011 (H000H9027) by Vice Chair Precourt
• State House map: Amendment 2 (SPUBH0177) to HJR 6011 (H000H9027) by Chair Weatherford
• Congressional map: Amendment 1 (H000C9047) to HB 6005 (H000C9043) by Vice Chair Precourt
• Congressional map: Amendment 2 (SPUBC0170) to HB 6005 (H000C9043) by Chair Weatherford
• State Senate map: Amendment 1 (S000S9008) to HJR 6001 (S000S9004) by Vice Chair Precourt

Regarding the amendments filed by Redistricting Committee Chairman Weatherford, those amendments were filed as a courtesy to the League of Women Voters, the National Council of La Raza and Common Cause, who collectively asked that their proposed redistricting plans be formally considered by the Committee.

Tomorrow’s Redistricting Committee meeting time will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in 404 of the House Office Building.  Visit the Florida Channel at http://thefloridachannel.org/ to watch the live webcast of the meeting.

Filed under: Committee Meetings, Public Meetings, congress, florida, house, league, legg, nehr, precourt, redistricting, schenck, senate, voter, weatherford, women

Redistricting Options Narrowed for Congressional and State House Maps

In yesterday’s House Redistricting Committee workshop, committee members agreed to focus on the following specific options for the Congressional and State House maps:

• Congress: HB 6005 (map 9043)
• State House: HB 6011 (map 9027)

Visit here for more details about each.

Rather than wait till their January 27 Committee meeting to narrow the options, Committee members discussed how narrowing down the options yesterday would give the public and members of the House a clear picture of what will be voted on and what to draft amendments to.

Following the meeting, Committee Chairman Will Weatherford issued a statement: “Today, the Members of the House Redistricting Committee agreed to focus on a single state House map and a single Congressional map. As chairman of the committee, I appreciate the many suggestions from the public, which are helping to ensure our options for maps further reflect the wishes of cities and communities across the state.”

During the meeting, Committee members heard presentations on additional public input that has been received since the House first released its options on December 6, 2011.  That public input includes written testimony, which is viewable by clicking here, and several recent maps submitted by the public, which are available at http://mydistrictbuilderplanexplorer.wordpress.com/.

Committee members and the audience also viewed the video presentation below by the House’s Office of Public Information regarding how citizen testimony has been used to craft the House’s options for redistricting.

Filed under: Committee Meetings, Public Participation, Timeline, apportion, congress, florida, house, input, participation, public, redistricting, senate

Final House Redistricting Workshop Tomorrow

Since December 6, 2011, Members and staff of the House Redistricting Committee have been hard at work collecting public input on the House’s proposed redistricting map options.  Tomorrow, the Redistricting Committee will meet to workshop these options one last time before a vote will be taken next Friday, January 27, 2012.  Additional details regarding tomorrow’s meeting are below:

• What: House Redistricting Committee Meeting
• Date: Friday, January 20, 2012
• Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST
• Location: 404 House Office Building, Tallahassee, FL
• View Live: House Broadcasts

During the workshop, Members will discuss the three proposed state House maps, three proposed congressional maps and one proposed state Senate map with the purpose of thoroughly reviewing the maps and all public comment associated with them.  If you have not yet expressed your opinion on the House’s proposed maps, we are still eager to hear from you. You may view the proposed maps by visiting the Florida House of Representatives Redistricting Bill page.  After reviewing the House’s proposals, we encourage you to offer public comment via any of the methods below:

• Send an email
• Post comments via Facebook
• Send us a Tweet
• Chime in on the Redistricting Public Input blog
• Use MyDistrictBuilder to illustrate your suggestions
• Communicate to us via your legislators
• Come speak at tomorrow’s  workshop in Tallahassee

Filed under: Committee Meetings, Public Meetings, Public Participation, Redistricting Bills, committee, congress, florida, house, redistricting, senate, www.floridaredistricting.org

House Redistricting Committee Timeline for Weeks 2-3 of Session

The House Redistricting Committee’s timeline for Weeks 2-3 of the 2012 Legislative Session is explained below in an email the Committee’s Chairman Will Weatherford sent to the Members of the Committee this morning.

From: Weatherford, Will
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 8:42 AM
Subject: House Redistricting Committee Timeline for Weeks 2-3 of Session

Dear Members of the Committee,

As you know, on Monday the House’s redistricting subcommittees approved seven proposed committee bills regarding state legislative and congressional redistricting.  The bills are numbered as follows:

• HJR 6001 – PCB SRS 12-01 – by Representative Nehr – State Senate Map S000S9004
• HB 6003 –  PCB CRS 12-05  – by Representative Legg – Congressional Map H000C9041
• HB 6005 –  PCB CRS 12-06 – by Representative Legg – Congressional Map H000C9043
• HB 6007 –  PCB CRS 12-07 – by Representative Legg – Congressional Map H000C9045
• HJR 6009 – PCB HRS 12-01 – by Representative Schenck – State House Map H000H9025
• HJR 6011 – PCB HRS 12-02 – by Representative Schenck – State House Map H000H9027
• HJR 6013 – PCB HRS 12-05 – by Representative Schenck – State House Map H000H9031

It is important that each of you and the public have another opportunity to review the maps and offer additional thoughts prior to the Committee’s selection and approval of a State House map, a State Senate map, and a congressional map.

For planning purposes, our Committee’s expected timeline for Weeks 2-3 of Session is as follows:

• Friday, January 20, 2012 – (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) – the Redistricting Committee will conduct a workshop of the seven redistricting bills listed above.  The Committee will not be taking any votes during this meeting. 
• The workshop will be segmented into two parts. The first half of the meeting will be devoted to a review of public input received since the House’s options for congressional and state legislative maps were first published on December 6, 2011.  Our staff are soliciting further public input specific to the proposals above.  Additionally, we will be allowing public comment on the proposed maps at the meeting. The second part of the meeting will be devoted to staff presentations of the proposed maps.
• Friday, January 27, 2012 – (9.am. to 1 p.m.) – the Redistricting Committee will meet to take up and vote on one State House map, one congressional map, the State Senate map, and any timely filed amendments that pertain to those maps.

Note that pursuant to House Rule 7.12(b), the House Rules & Calendar Committee plans to meet and recommend a special procedures for redistricting amendment deadlines to be considered by the House prior to the Redistricting Committee meeting on January 27.  It is expected that the deadlines will be similar to those used for redistricting subcommittees during the recent Interim Committee meetings.

The maps and additional information regarding the bills listed above can be viewed at at http://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Redistricting/Redistricting2012.aspx.

If you have any questions or need for additional information, please feel free to contact me or our Committee’s staff.

Sincerely,

Will Weatherford

www.floridaredistricting.org

Filed under: Committee Meetings, Public Participation, Timeline, apportion, congress, florida, house, mydistrictbuilder, redistricting, senate, weatherford