DeSantis Expands Special Session to Force House's Hand on AI, Vaccines, Redistricting

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a revised proclamation Wednesday delaying and dramatically expanding Florida's upcoming special legislative session, pushing lawmakers' return to Tallahassee to April 28 through May 1 and adding two politically charged priorities — AI consumer protections and vaccine exemption rules — that the House refused to take up during the regular session that ended last month.

The move has direct implications for the Treasure Coast. Any redrawn congressional map could reshape Florida's 18th Congressional District Officials said, which covers portions of Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties, as DeSantis pursues additional Republican seats in a state where the GOP already holds a 20-8 congressional advantage.

The redistricting effort is anchored to a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. DeSantis has said he expects that ruling to invalidate minority-access districts — an outcome that, if it materializes, could provide legal cover to redraw seats currently held by South Florida Democratic U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson. The court has not yet issued the ruling Officials said, and Senate President Ben Albritton has warned colleagues that significant litigation has followed every prior redistricting cycle.

Critically, the Senate is not producing its own map. Albritton told members in a memo Wednesday that the chamber "is not drafting or producing a map for introduction during the Special Session" and that the Governor's Office will present a proposal to the Senate Rules Committee on April 28. Sen. Don Gaetz will formally sponsor whatever map DeSantis transmits. That arrangement mirrors 2022, when DeSantis vetoed the Legislature's map and imposed his own — a blueprint later upheld by Florida courts Officials said.

The two additions to the proclamation carry the unmistakable fingerprints of the ongoing feud between DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez. The AI Bill of Rights — Senate Bill 482 — passed the Senate 35-2 this session but never received a House floor vote. Perez had argued the issue belonged at the federal level, pointing to a Trump executive order aimed at blocking state-level AI regulation. The medical freedom measure, Senate Bill 1756, cleared the Senate but likewise stalled in the House. That bill would require parental informed consent before vaccination, shield physicians from liability for prescribing ivermectin, and create a "conscience-based objection" category allowing parents to opt children out of school immunization requirements.

Perez issued a statement Wednesday that was notably cool. "We look forward to seeing the Governor's proposed map," he said, adding that "the other issues mentioned in the proclamation will be evaluated once we have seen the draft legislation." He did not commit to passing either measure.

DeSantis, speaking at a Jacksonville press conference on the final day of the regular session last month, was more direct, telling reporters that the House was "fumbling right on the goal line" and vowing the vaccine and AI bills were "not going to be the last word on it."

Florida's redistricting push sits inside a national reshuffling. According to PBS NewsHour, Republicans believe mid-decade redistricting could yield nine additional U.S. House seats nationally, while Democrats project gains of six seats elsewhere. The effort began after former President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw their map, and has since cascaded through more than a dozen states. Democrats need only a handful of net seats in November to reclaim the House majority.

Pediatricians and public health groups opposed the medical freedom bill during the regular session, warning it could reduce childhood vaccination rates Officials said. Parents' rights advocacy groups backed it heavily.

Senate Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur will carry the AI bill in the special session. Sen. Clay Yarborough of Jacksonville will again sponsor the vaccine measure. Both bills are expected to be referred to Rules immediately upon the session's opening.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.