A lawsuit has been filed by progressive civic groups challenging the way four congressional districts and seven state House districts in South Florida were drawn by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature. The groups claim that these districts were racially gerrymandered for Hispanics, who are considered too diverse in Florida to be classified as a protected minority.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in South Florida, names the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Secretary of State as defendants. The plaintiffs argue that the districts are unconstitutional and are seeking to prevent their use in any future elections.
According to federal and state law, race can be taken into account during redistricting to protect minority voters if the minority group is cohesive and if majority-white voters can prevent the minority group from electing their preferred candidates. However, the lawsuit alleges that the Florida Legislature incorrectly assumed that South Florida's Hispanic voters are cohesive, despite their diverse political behaviors and preferences.
The lawsuit contends that genuine minority communities of interest in Miami and Collier County were divided when the districts were drawn. Miami-Dade County, where the challenged districts are concentrated, has a population where more than two-thirds are Hispanic.
The districts under scrutiny include congressional districts 19, 26, 27, and 28, as well as state House districts 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 118, and 119, all currently represented by Republicans. The lawsuit argues that the districts violate fundamental principles of good district drawing, such as keeping communities intact, ensuring compactness, and preventing districts from extending into disparate neighborhoods.
