⚠ REDISTRICTING ALERT
These are the state legislators who represent the Solivita community — and they will be voting on the Governor’s redistricting map this week. Contact them before Wednesday’s expected floor vote to urge them to Vote NO to any mid-decade redistricting.
- FL State Senator — Colleen Burton (R), District 12
- District Phone: (863) 413-1529; Tallahassee Phone: (850) 487-5012
- FL State Representative — Jon Albert (R), District 48
- District Phone: (863) 500-8310; Tallahassee Phone: (850) 717-5048
Sample phone script: Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from Solivita in Poinciana. I’m calling to urge you to oppose any effort to redraw Florida’s congressional maps. The Fair Districts Amendment is the law – Floridians voted for it. Please don’t rig our elections. Vote NO on any mid-decade redistricting.
What Just Happened
On Monday, April 27, 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis released a proposed new congressional redistricting map and transmitted it to the Florida Legislature. The map was released to Fox News first, then formally sent to lawmakers — just 24 hours before a special legislative session begins.
The proposed map would drastically redraw several U.S. House districts in Central and South Florida, targeting four Democratic-held seats.
How This Directly Affects Solivita
Solivita currently sits in Florida’s 9th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Darren Soto (D).
Under the Proposed Map:
• FL-9 would be completely redrawn and would flip from Democratic to Republican
• The 2024 presidential margin in FL-9 would swing from D+3.5 to R+17.7 — a massive 21-point shift
• Solivita’s area would fall into a new, Republican-leaning FL-18 dominated by Polk County (699,638 pop. from Polk + 69,583 from Osceola = 769,221 total)
• Rep. Soto’s seat would effectively be eliminated as a competitive district
The Statewide Picture
The proposed map would reduce Democratic representation in Florida’s congressional delegation by half:
|
Metric |
Current Map |
Proposed Map |
|
Republican seats |
20 |
24 |
|
Democratic seats |
8 |
4 |
|
Democratic incumbents targeted |
— |
Soto (FL-9), Castor (FL-14), Frankel (FL-22), Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) |
|
Remaining Dem seats |
8 districts |
FL-10 (Frost), FL-20 (vacant), FL-23 (Moskowitz), and one South FL seat |
The Legal Landscape
Several legal factors are in play:
- Florida voters approved the Fair Districts amendments in 2010, which explicitly prohibit drawing districts to favor a political party or diminish minority voting power.
- DeSantis’s general counsel David Axelman argues the Fair Districts amendments should be considered void because the FL Supreme Court in 2025 struck down the race-based provisions, and he claims the remaining provisions cannot be “severed” from them.
- Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) issued a memo reminding senators of the state constitution’s prohibition against partisan gerrymandering.
- Rep. Soto called the map “an absolutely unlawful violation of the Florida Constitution.”
- FL Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried stated: “The lawsuits have already been drafted.”
- The U.S. Supreme Court has a pending ruling in Louisiana v. Callaisregarding the Voting Rights Act that could affect the legal landscape.
- The Governor’s office released the map color-coded in red and blue, which critics say is evidence of partisan intent.
What Happens Next — Timeline
|
Date |
Event |
|
April 27 (Today) |
Map released by Governor and transmitted to the Legislature |
|
April 28 (Tuesday) |
Special session begins; House and Senate committees review the map |
|
April 29 (Wednesday) |
Expected floor vote in both chambers |
|
If Approved |
Returns to DeSantis for signature; would take effect for the November 2026 midterm elections |
|
Following Approval |
Legal challenges widely expected to follow |
Key Resources
- Florida Senate Redistricting Page: flsenate.gov/Session/Redistricting/Congressional (interactive map, data packet, area maps)
