Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he has signed a new congressional map into law that Republicans believe could deliver up to four additional U.S. House seats in November.
The move wraps a rapid-fire special session on redistricting, giving GOP lawmakers one last shot to redraw lines in the middle of the decade as part of a broader national fight over maps. The new plan is designed to expand Florida’s Republican delegation from 20 to 24 seats, while cutting Democrats’ share from 8 to 4.
“Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” DeSantis posted on social media.
Both the Florida House and Senate approved the new map last week, just a day after committees in each chamber advanced it.
Under the new lines, Democrats could lose ground in key areas. The map targets the Tampa-based seat held by Rep. Kathy Castor and a Central Florida district represented by Rep. Darren Soto. Rep. Maxwell Frost’s district would also shrink under the proposal.
In South Florida, Republicans reworked multiple Democratic-leaning districts. Five seats currently held by Democrats would effectively be consolidated into three, affecting Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel, and Frederica Wilson, along with the seat previously held by former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
Despite the governor’s signature, the fight is just getting started. Democrats have already signaled legal challenges are coming, setting up another courtroom clash over Florida’s maps.
At the center of that battle is a constitutional question. DeSantis’ legal team has argued that provisions in Florida’s constitution requiring consideration of race in redistricting are unconstitutional. That argument gained traction after a recent Supreme Court decision tied to the Voting Rights Act, which narrowed how race can be used when drawing congressional districts.
With the lines now law, both parties are bracing for a high-stakes legal and political showdown ahead of the 2026 midterms.
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