Ron DeSantis has Republicans locked in a power struggle.
The Governor just made his move.
And Ron DeSantis snubbed the House Speaker with one redistricting announcement that left Republicans stunned.
DeSantis Calls Special Session For April Despite House Speaker's Plans
Governor Ron DeSantis announced he's calling a special legislative session on congressional redistricting for April 20-24.
That puts him on a collision course with House Speaker Daniel Perez, who wanted to tackle redistricting during the regular session starting January 13.
"We are going to do it in the later part of April, partially because there's a Supreme Court decision that's going to affect the validity of some of these districts nationwide, including some of the districts in the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2008953865589157977?s=20
The Governor is betting on the Louisiana v. Callais ruling from the Supreme Court, which could blow up minority voting protections across the country.
If the Court guts Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act like many expect, DeSantis gets the green light to redraw Florida's map to squeeze even more Republican seats out of the state.
Florida Republicans already hold a 20-8 advantage in the Congressional delegation thanks to DeSantis's 2022 map that he forced through after vetoing the Legislature's first attempt.
"We also need to see how our population has changed so much in the last four or five years," DeSantis continued.
"We need to get a portion properly, and people deserve equal representation."
The timing couldn't be worse for Perez.
He created a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting back in August with Rep. Mike Redondo chairing it.
They've been holding meetings, doing the groundwork, getting ready to move during the regular session.
Now DeSantis just told him to sit down and wait until April.
Trump's Redistricting War Goes National
DeSantis isn't operating in a vacuum.
President Trump kicked off a nationwide redistricting war last summer when he pushed Texas to redraw their congressional map to pick up five more Republican seats.
Texas delivered in August, passing new maps that target Democratic incumbents in heavily minority districts.
California Democrats fired back in November with their own redistricting that could flip five Republican-held seats.
Missouri grabbed one Democratic seat.
North Carolina grabbed another.
Now Trump wants Florida to pile on before the 2026 midterms.
Republicans currently hold a 220-213 majority in the House, and Trump knows Democrats could impeach him if they take control.
Florida could be the crown jewel of this whole operation.
Some experts think the state could yield three to five additional GOP House seats with the right map.
That's enough to possibly swing control of the House all by itself.
DeSantis set the special session for the same week as federal candidate qualifying, which is scheduled for late April.
His proclamation says state law requires pushing qualifying back to June if new districts get drawn.
That gives candidates almost no time to figure out what district they're running in before qualifying starts.
House Republicans Could Ignore The Governor
But here's where it gets interesting.
DeSantis can call all the special sessions he wants.
He can't make the Legislature pass anything.
Perez made it crystal clear in December that he saw "no need to wait until the spring."
"We're not going to wait until the spring, we're going to move forward now," Perez told POLITICO.
He called waiting until April "irresponsible."
State Senate President Ben Albritton sided with DeSantis, saying lawmakers should wait for the Supreme Court ruling.
But if Perez and House Republicans decide to ram through their own map during the regular session anyway, DeSantis can't stop them.
The Supreme Court is hearing reargument in Louisiana v. Callais after punting on the case last term.
They've been asked to decide whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act itself violates the Constitution.
https://twitter.com/erickson_68/status/2008954365046849716?s=20
If the Court says yes, that blows up the rules that have protected minority voting districts for decades.
Florida has several South Florida seats with majority Black and Hispanic voters that could get carved up under a new Supreme Court ruling.
Democrats like Kathy Castor in Tampa, Darren Soto in Orlando, and four South Florida members could all see their districts redrawn into oblivion.
DeSantis already proved in 2022 he's willing to blow up the rules to get the map he wants.
He vetoed the Legislature's first map, drew his own, and forced lawmakers to rubber-stamp it.
The map eliminated a North Florida district that had elected Black Democrat Al Lawson for years.
Voting rights groups sued, a trial judge struck it down, but the Florida Supreme Court — packed with DeSantis appointees — ultimately upheld it.
Now he's going back to the well.
And Perez is the one getting steamrolled this time.
Sources:
- Gary Fineout, "DeSantis calls April special legislative session on congressional redistricting," POLITICO, January 7, 2026.
- Jim Rosica and James Call, "DeSantis says he's calling April special session on redistricting," USA TODAY, January 7, 2026.
- Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Announces Special Legislative Session on Congressional Redistricting in April," The Floridian, January 7, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Gov. DeSantis calls April Special Legislative Session to tackle congressional redistricting," Florida Politics, January 7, 2026.
