Florida Supreme Court Upholds GOP-Drawn US House Map, Locking In Treasure Coast Districts

The Florida Supreme Court has left in place the Republican-drawn congressional map that reshaped the state's U.S. House districts, ending a legal challenge that could have redrawn boundaries across the Treasure Coast and beyond.

The court's decision upholds a map drawn under Gov. Ron DeSantis that dismantled a North Florida district previously held by a Black Democrat and reconfigured seats across the state in ways critics argued diluted minority voting power. The justices declined to strike down the map, clearing its use for upcoming federal elections.

For Martin and St. Lucie County voters, the ruling cements the current configuration of Florida's 21st Congressional District — the seat held by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.). The map concentrates Republican-leaning precincts across the two counties, an arrangement that Democratic and voting-rights plaintiffs had sought to challenge. With the court's decision final, those boundaries will govern at least the next round of federal elections.

Opponents of the map, including voting-rights organizations that brought the suit, argued the redistricting plan violated the Florida Constitution's Fair Districts Amendment, which prohibits drawing maps that favor a political party or diminish minority communities' ability to elect representatives of their choice. The court's majority found otherwise or declined to intervene on those grounds, allowing the map to stand.

The fight over Florida's congressional map has stretched across multiple court levels since DeSantis personally directed a redraw in 2022, overriding a plan passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature. That DeSantis-authored map increased the number of safely Republican districts statewide from roughly 16 to as many as 20 of the state's 28 congressional seats, according to public records from the redistricting proceedings.

The ruling is now final for electoral purposes, with no further state court avenue remaining for challengers.

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