Florida Supreme Court Locks In DeSantis-Drawn Map for Midterms, Reshaping Treasure Coast Races

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a last-ditch effort to block the DeSantis-redrawn congressional map from taking effect, locking in Republican-leaning district lines that will govern every Treasure Coast congressional race through the November midterm elections.

The court ruled 6-1 that the First District Court of Appeal — not the Supreme Court — should first weigh the merits of charges by Equal Ground Education Fund and two other voting rights groups that the mid-decade redistricting was engineered to benefit the Republican Party, a potential violation of the state's anti-gerrymandering law. The ruling does not kill the case. It delays it, and the reconfigured map stands in the meantime.

Attorney General James Uthmeier called the outcome "a complete and total victory."

Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, disagreed sharply. "The time to protect voters from irreparable harm is before another election takes place under this map," Robinson said. "Florida voters deserve fair maps, fair representation, and a democracy that works for everyone now."

The map at issue was drafted by a DeSantis aide, handed to the Republican-led Legislature and passed without amendment during an April special session. President Donald Trump had urged GOP-controlled states to redraw maps in advance of the midterms, and Florida was among the first to comply.

Qualifying closed Friday for Florida's 28 congressional seats. Nearly 200 candidates filed statewide, with more than 50 vying for 21 state Senate seats and 291 candidates competing for 120 state House seats. House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, and U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Orlando, were among the few re-elected without opposition.

The Republican gubernatorial field is drawing the most attention at the top of the ticket: U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former House Speaker Paul Renner, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez and conservative activist James Fishback — who is now feuding with the state Republican Party — are among those who qualified.

On the Democratic side, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly named former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate Wednesday. His prospects as the Democratic nominee brightened when Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings suspended his campaign June 5. State Rep. Dotie Joseph, an attorney from North Miami, quietly filed for the office just before Friday's noon deadline, public records show.

Meanwhile, a separate legal fight broke out over the property tax amendment headed to Florida voters in November. Thomas Campenni, former mayor of Stuart, and Michael Davey, former mayor of Key Biscayne, joined the group Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Leon County Circuit Court. The suit argues that the ballot summary for the proposal — designated HJR 1-F — goes beyond explaining the measure and instead advocates for its passage.

The amendment, approved by the Legislature in a special session at DeSantis's urging, would raise the non-school homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028. The ballot summary uses three political taglines — "ensuring funding for core services," "protecting small businesses" and "ensuring fairness for Florida residents" — to sell the proposal rather than describe it, the lawsuit contends.

"It endorses it," the lawsuit states. "The ballot summary sets forth three political taglines giving reasons why voters should vote for the proposal. But the purpose of a ballot summary is to explain what an amendment does, not to advocate for its adoption."

The suit also challenges the "protecting small businesses" language, noting the measure contains no provision singling out small businesses for special treatment. A separate provision reducing the annual assessment-increase cap on non-homestead properties from 10 percent to five percent applies broadly, not exclusively to small businesses.

If the court sides with the former mayors, Uthmeier would be required to rewrite the ballot summary. For Martin County homeowners and property owners across the Treasure Coast, the amendment's fate carries direct financial stakes — both in potential tax relief and in what local governments say they would lose in revenue to fund roads, parks and emergency services.

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.