Democrats, good government groups and some activist organizations have complained for months that the Florida GOP-led Legislature is sabotaging the spirit behind Amendments 5 & 6, the measures that required that the redistricting of legislative and congressional seats in the Sunshine State be fair and contiguous. So it was inevitable that shortly after the Florida Senate approved the new maps Thursday, those groups announced they would sue.
On a 32-5 vote, the Florida Senate passed the new congressional maps, with seven of the 12 Senate Democrats supporting it. Lakeland's Paula Dockery was the only Republican who opposed. The legislators then followed on a 31-7 vote to approve the legislative maps, with Dockery joined by Mike Fasano as the lone Republicans to oppose the plan.
Florida Democrats immediately filed a lawsuit. Party Chair Rod Smith said, "Republicans have undertaken the sort of incumbent protection and partisan gerrymandering that 63-percent of Florida voters overwhelmingly demanded must stop,"
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2012.