Florida's GOP-controlled Legislature on Monday effectively handed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis control over the process of drawing the state's congressional map for upcoming U.S. House elections, a move that voting rights advocates decried as an "unprecedented and dangerous" abdication of responsibility.
Caving to pressure from the right-wing governor's office, Florida's state Senate President Wilton Simpson and state House Speaker Chris Sprowls said in a joint statement that "at this time, Legislative reapportionment staff is not drafting or producing a map for introduction during the special session."
