DeSantis vetoes new Florida congressional map and calls for special session

By Steve Contorno, CNN

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday received and quickly vetoed new congressional boundaries approved by the Republican-controlled legislature, setting up a showdown with his own party over how to proceed with a new map for the state.

DeSantis said he will call lawmakers back to Tallahassee next month for a special session to redraw district lines.

DeSantis has demanded a map that eliminates the current 5th Congressional District, one of four Black plurality to the districts in the state, and he previously proposed his own map to do just that. The district connects Black communities from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and is represented by US Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat from Tallahassee. Opponents say DeSantis’ proposed map unconstitutionally diminishes the say of minority voters in the state.

Florida is one of just five states without a finalized map, which is required by states every 10 years following the US Census.

“Our goal in all of this is to have a constitutional map,” DeSantis said.

The Republican-controlled state House and Senate passed a map earlier this month despite a threat of a veto from DeSantis. The proposal also included a backup map that closely adhered to the current map, with some adjustments to include a 28th Congressional District added after the most-recent US Census.

DeSantis said he may also ask lawmakers to consider during the special session passing a new law to allow residents to carry firearms in Florida without a permit. Gun owners in Florida currently must obtain a concealed weapons permit to carry a firearm in public.

The-CNN-Wire
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