A plan proposed by Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller that would potentially increase the chances of getting Latino representation on the board died on a 5-2 vote Wednesday morning.
Miller's plan was to have the BOCC allow citizens to vote on changing the current structure of the commission — four single-member seats and three at-large seats — to one in which there would be five single-member seats and just two-county wide. Arguing that Hillsborough is the largest county in the state with the fewest district seats, Miller said times had changed from when the charter was last revised in 1983.
But only the other Democrat on the board, Kevin Beckner, supported his proposal. All five Republicans voted it down.
Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he didn't like the idea of gerrymandering districts, though Miller denied that's what he was proposing. He added that Sharpe should ask colleagues Sandy Murman and Victor Crist about gerrymandering (they both formerly worked along with Miller in the state legislature). The proposed maps showing a new fifth single member district in fact were compact, hardly what congressional and legislative lines look like right now in Florida.
This article appears in Feb 23-29, 2012.