Ron DeSantis thought he had a clear path forward.
Now he's facing a major legal roadblock that could derail his entire strategy.
And Ron DeSantis got blindsided when two Florida voters filed this lawsuit that could wreck his April plans.
DeSantis Calls Special Session To Redraw Congressional Map
Governor Ron DeSantis announced in January he's calling a special legislative session for April 20-24 to redraw Florida's congressional maps.
The move puts Florida in the middle of a nationwide redistricting arms race ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida's 28 congressional seats.
DeSantis claims the state needs to redistrict because of explosive population growth and a pending Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.
"We're in a situation where, you know, we believe there's defects in the current map," DeSantis said. "We also believe that the districts are malapportioned because of the explosive growth that we've seen in the state of Florida."
The governor's proclamation directed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to move the congressional candidate filing deadline from late April to June 8-12.
House Speaker Danny Perez formed a special redistricting committee and pushed for action during the current legislative session.
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But DeSantis argued waiting until April provides time for legal clarity while keeping elections on track.
Democrats And Voting Rights Groups Sue To Block The Governor
Two Florida voters backed by the National Redistricting Foundation filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court Thursday challenging DeSantis' authority.
Elizabeth Pines from Miami-Dade County and Eugene Pettis from Broward County ask the court to void the governor's proclamation and block Secretary Byrd's directive.
The lawsuit argues DeSantis exceeded his constitutional authority by declaring 2026 an apportionment year.
"By using a proclamation to declare 2026 an apportionment year, Governor DeSantis exceeded his constitutional authority by usurping a core legislative responsibility in service of his desire to enact a mid-decade gerrymander," National Redistricting Foundation executive director Marina Jenkins said.
Florida's Constitution grants redistricting authority solely to the Legislature.
The plaintiffs argue that until lawmakers actually pass a new map, DeSantis can't force redistricting through executive proclamation.
"The decision over whether and when to reapportion Florida's congressional districts belongs to the Legislature," the lawsuit states.
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Florida Democrats called the effort illegal.
"Politicians should not pick their people," House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell said. "Florida's government should not be rigging elections. That's what they do in places like Cuba and Venezuela, not America."
Florida Democrat Party Chair Nikki Fried said Republicans are trying to "steal the 2026 elections" because "the pendulum is starting to swing back."
DeSantis Faces Same Playbook That Stopped Other States
The National Redistricting Foundation is the legal arm of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee led by former Attorney General Eric Holder.
The group filed similar lawsuits on behalf of voters against red states engaging in mid-decade congressional redistricting over the past year.
President Trump sparked this nationwide battle last July when he told Texas Republicans to redraw their maps out of concern the GOP could lose the House in 2026.
Texas, California, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina and Utah all passed new maps outside the typical post-Census schedule.
Mid-decade redistricting isn't prohibited by federal law.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that neither the Constitution nor federal law ban the practice.
But Florida has a unique constitutional restriction other states don't.
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In 2010, more than 60% of Florida voters approved Fair Districts amendments explicitly prohibiting drawing district boundaries to favor or disfavor a political party.
Voting rights groups held protests at the Capitol during redistricting committee meetings.
"If you have to redistrict the voting distribution in a state in order to win an election, you're cheating," Tallahassee resident Faye Johnson said during December protests. "You're also a coward."
DeSantis already pushed through one controversial map in 2022 that dismantled a North Florida district where Black voters had elected their preferred candidate for three decades.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld that DeSantis-backed map in July 2025 despite challenges claiming it violated Fair Districts.
That ruling emboldened DeSantis to push for another redistricting round.
Florida voters watched Republicans gerrymander maps throughout the 2010s until courts finally forced fixes in 2015.
Now DeSantis wants to do it again just four years after the last redistricting cycle.
The lawsuit puts DeSantis in the position of proving he has constitutional authority to unilaterally force redistricting.
If he can't, the court could declare his proclamation void and leave current maps in place for 2026.
Florida Republicans better hope this lawsuit fails.
Because if it succeeds, DeSantis will be left explaining to Trump why Florida couldn't deliver the additional House seats Republicans were counting on.
Sources:
- Luke Anderson and Joel Mitchell, "New lawsuit challenges DeSantis' push for new Florida congressional map," WTXL ABC 27, February 5, 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "FL voters sue to block DeSantis' mid-decade congressional redistricting," Florida Phoenix, February 5, 2026.
- Gary Fineout, "Florida push for mid-decade redistricting draws its first lawsuit," Politico, February 5, 2026.
- Julia Mueller, "Florida voters sue DeSantis over redistricting push," The Hill, February 5, 2026.
