'We'll Not Be The Governor's Punching Bag,' Florida Black Elected Officials To Send Message To Gov. DeSantis On Redistricting
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - On Monday, April 18th, Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones, joined by other locally elected officials, intends to send a clear message to Governor Ron DeSantis: The redistricting map from his office dilutes Black districts.
The mission will also be to raise the alarm within the Black community.
"Unprecedented approach that the Governor is doing," said Jones.
Senator Jones and other leaders will gather at the Little Haiti Cultural Center to explain why the DeSantis' redistricting plan diminishes the Black vote and voice.
"Let them know what the governor is doing is wrong and that we will not sit back and be the governor's political punching bag," said Jones.
Earlier this week, DeSantis visited Miami and shared his vision for what he feels would be a fair redistricting congressional map.
It's why he opted to veto a bi-partisan-created congressional map. He said his office constructed a race-neutral map.
"I don't know how all this stuff works," mentioned the governor. "But, I know that you look at how many counties are being split. How many cities? The compactness and all of that."
We see changes when comparing Black voter age population percentages from the old map to the proposed one.
-- District 5, completely repositioned to hug the coastline near Jacksonville, went from 46.2% BVAP to 12.8%.
-- District 4 bumps up from 10.36% to 31.66% under this map.
The total number of districts with at least 40% shrinks from three to two.
"The governor knows good and well that no governor here in Florida has done what he's doing right now," added Jones.
And for Jones, that's vetoing the bi-partisan map in favor of one that eliminates a majority Black voting district.
"We are not going to have a 200-mile gerrymander that divvies people by the color of their skin," stressed DeSantis.
"He's gerrymandering right now," said Jones.
According to FiveThirtyEight, by the numbers, the DeSantis proposed map could give Republicans four more seats. A big GOP boost.
"He wants his map," said Jones. "It's his way or no way at all. That has been his MO."
Jones adds that the governor is more worried about his political future than what is right.
Experts believe that if the plan proposed by the governor's office passes a new vote, it will be challenged in the courts.
In a statement provided to CBS4 by Daniella Pierre, President of the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP said, "The new proposed maps are nothing more than a downright power grab by Governor DeSantis."
"This latest attempt is another attack to not only suppress Black votes, strip voters of their ability to vote their choice and will dilute the strength of our collective voices."
"We will not stand by and let this happen. We're fighting forward to protect our democracy. We call on Governor DeSantis to do what's right for all the people of Florida and create fair districts."
