Ron DeSantis doesn't take no for an answer when it comes to Congressional redistricting.
The Florida Governor just reminded his Republican allies who's calling the shots.
And two words from Ron DeSantis just blindsided Republican Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez.
House Speaker tries pumping the brakes on redistricting
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez thought he could quietly shelve DeSantis' redistricting plans.
POLITICO's Gary Fineout caught Perez telling reporters there was "no plan yet" for redrawing Florida's Congressional map.¹
"We're not there yet. We haven't had that discussion yet," Perez said. "Redistricting hasn't been a conversation that we've had yet."¹
That's a far cry from the tough talk Perez put out back in August when he announced a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting to explore the issue.²
Republicans currently hold a commanding 20-8 advantage in Florida's Congressional delegation thanks to a map DeSantis personally drew in 2022 after vetoing the Legislature's first attempt.³
DeSantis credited that map with delivering the GOP's narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
But now, with less than two months until the 2026 Legislative Session begins, Perez appears to be backing away from the Governor's push for another round of redistricting.
DeSantis fires back with two-word warning
DeSantis wasted no time responding to Perez's attempts to downplay redistricting plans.
The Governor posted just two words on social media Thursday night: "Stay tuned."⁴
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1989172906136596590?s=20
Those two words sent a clear message to Perez and the Legislature — DeSantis expects redistricting to happen "this spring" whether Perez likes it or not.⁴
DeSantis has repeatedly claimed Florida got "gypped" during the 2020 Census and deserves additional Congressional seats.⁵
The Governor said Trump administration officials told him Florida should have gotten "at least two seats" and possibly "three to five seats" if the count had been done properly.⁶
Florida gained just one additional House seat after the 2020 Census, bringing the total to 28.
Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding Florida be awarded another Congressional seat or updated population data for increased federal funding.⁷
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1954896171924963377?s=20
DeSantis believes the Census Bureau undercounted Florida by approximately 750,000 people while overcounting blue states.⁷
Democrats have accused DeSantis and Republican state legislatures across the country of pursuing partisan gerrymandering to protect their slim House majority heading into the 2026 midterms.
President Donald Trump has called on Republican-controlled state legislatures in Texas, Missouri, South Carolina, and Florida to redraw Congressional maps to add more GOP seats.
California Governor Gavin Newsom countered by pushing through Proposition 50, which voters overwhelmingly approved to allow California Democrats to redraw their own Congressional lines.⁸
DeSantis also weighed in on the Justice Department's objections to California's redistricting process, which the DOJ claims uses race as a primary consideration.
"Courts could nix the CA map on racial gerrymandering grounds, but I bet CA will just say the intent was to partisan gerrymander," DeSantis posted.⁴
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1989192194037633358?s=20
Perez faces tough choice with DeSantis digging in
The Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting that Perez announced in August hasn't held a single meeting and has no meetings scheduled.⁴
That committee was supposed to review how the Florida Supreme Court's July ruling on the state's Congressional map impacts the "Fair Districts" provisions in Florida's Constitution.⁹
The court ruled 5-1 that DeSantis' 2022 map — which eliminated a historically Black Congressional district in North Florida — didn't violate state law because federal Equal Protection Clause requirements override Florida's Fair Districts Amendment.¹⁰
Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz concluded that legislators have a "superior obligation" to follow federal equal-protection law over the Fair Districts Amendment, which prohibits drawing districts that diminish minorities' ability to elect representatives of their choice.⁹
That ruling essentially gave DeSantis a green light to draw even more aggressive Republican-friendly maps without worrying about the Fair Districts guardrails Florida voters approved by 63% in 2010.¹⁰
Perez and DeSantis have feuded repeatedly over the past year on immigration policy, property taxes, and government oversight matters.¹¹
Back in January 2025, Perez helped block DeSantis' attempt to call a special session on illegal immigration, calling it a "stunt used to generate headlines."¹²
https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/1983573194872156528?s=20
DeSantis blasted the TRUMP Act that Perez and other legislators passed instead as "substantially weaker" than his proposal and threatened to veto it.¹²
Now Perez faces another showdown with DeSantis over redistricting.
The Governor can call a special session at any time to force the Legislature to take up redistricting without waiting for the regular 2026 Legislative Session.
DeSantis' "Stay tuned" post makes clear he's not backing down from his demand for a new Congressional map this spring.
Perez can either get on board with redistricting now or face another public battle with a Governor who's proven willing to ram his agenda through a reluctant Legislature.
¹ Gary Fineout, POLITICO report on Perez comments, November 14, 2025.
² Daniel Perez memo to Florida House members, "Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting," August 7, 2025.
³ A.G. Gancarski, "'Stay tuned': Ron DeSantis still expects Congressional redistricting," Florida Politics, November 14, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ A.G. Gancarski, "Ron DeSantis says Florida 'gypped' out of congressional seat," Florida Politics, July 1, 2025.
⁶ Mitch Perry, "'Stay tuned,' DeSantis says on mid-decade congressional redistricting plan," Florida Phoenix, July 30, 2025.
⁷ Christine Sexton, "Florida to feds: Give us another congressional seat or more federal funds," Florida Phoenix, August 21, 2025.
⁸ "Florida Governor DeSantis Could Help Republicans Retain House Majority With Redistricting," The Floridian, November 12, 2025.
⁹ Jeffrey Schweers, "Florida House speaker puts together Congressional redistricting committee," Tampa Bay Times, August 7, 2025.
¹⁰ "Florida Supreme Court upholds Gov. DeSantis' controversial congressional map," Florida Politics, July 18, 2025.
¹¹ A.G. Gancarski, "Daniel Perez says Florida House will move forward with congressional redistricting," Florida Politics, August 8, 2025.
¹² "Daniel Perez (politician)," Wikipedia, October 12, 2025.
