Florida Redistricting Special Session Set for April 20 as Budget Deadline Looms

Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee starting April 20 for a five-day special session focused on congressional redistricting, with Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to receive new Republican-drawn maps that could reshape political representation across the state — including the Treasure Coast districts held by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.).

House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) signaled this week that details are imminent. "As for the Special Session called by the Governor for the week of April 20th, we will be in touch next week with further details," Perez wrote in a memo summarizing the legislative outlook. Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) separately confirmed that work on the state spending plan continues, with lawmakers facing a July 1 deadline — the start of the new fiscal year — to finalize the budget.

For Treasure Coast voters, the redistricting session carries immediate stakes. Martin and St. Lucie counties fall within Florida's 21st Congressional District, currently represented by Mast. Any redrawing of lines — particularly the aggressive mid-decade remapping Republicans have sought — could alter the district's boundaries, its partisan composition and ultimately its representation in Washington. Mast's office did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

Also unresolved heading into the session is DeSantis' proposed constitutional amendment that would ask voters in November to eliminate or reduce homestead property taxes — a measure that would directly affect the assessed-value protections many longtime Martin and Indian River County homeowners rely on. No committee hearings on the amendment have been scheduled, according to a review of the legislative calendar.

The South Florida Water Management District is holding a public workshop Monday on the Loxahatchee River Preservation Initiative — a program with direct implications for the watershed that feeds into waterways throughout northern Palm Beach and southern Martin counties. The St. Johns River Water Management District board also meets Tuesday, with a proposal to alter a conservation easement affecting a Broward County property on its agenda.

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