Florida’s political districts are getting another partisan Republican makeover even though the people of Florida said “no” when it passed state amendments calling for an end to gerrymandering in 2010.
Politicians across the state will likely see their constituent base shift somewhat, and that could mean opportunities for some and challenges for others. For our local LGBT elected officials, the concern of gerrymandered districts is real, although none expect it to directly affect their offices.
Orlando's out city commissioner Patty Sheehan may see the most impact from the redistricting. She's lost 7,000 constituents as the boundaries of her District 4 have shifted quite a bit.
“We did 10 public meetings and had many public maps submitted,” she said. “I think our process was the most transparent and had the most input.”
Despite the changes, Sheehan is confident in her position.
“I think if you do a good job, the changes don’t matter, as I had the most shifts in my boundaries 10 years ago, and I still won re-election,” she recalled. “Most of the public comment came from people who wanted to remain in my district. The state process has been very different, and I understand that there is the threat of legal challenges due to violation fair districts amendment.”
For Kevin Beckner, who became Hillsborough County's first out commissioner in 2008, the finalized maps won't matter, since his District 5 seat is countywide. But that doesn't mean he hasn't seen redistricting on the county level favor specific candidates.
“It’s very gerrymandered and not in keeping with the Fair Districts Amendments that passed,” he said.
The process, which happens once a decade, redraws congressional and legislative districts across the Sunshine State. It is still undergoing finalization in Tallahassee. Brian Winfield of Equality Florida said there’s likely to be “a court battle” over whatever boundaries are finally approved.
The idea behind the 2010 amendments was to no longer draw up political districts based on keeping an incumbent in office, but representing communities and keeping them in the tighter political districts.
Some see opportunities, though.
“I think there are many areas where an openly gay politician can run and win,” said Joe Saunders, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida. “There are opportunities in Miami-Dade, southeast Palm Beach to Key West and Monroe County and in the I-4 corridor. All of those places openly gay candidates have won on the local level.”
He said the real test for breaking the “lavender ceiling” in Tallahassee is getting an LGBT person elected at the state level.
“Right now everybody needs to be paying attention to the legislature's drawing up of the maps,” Saunders said. “The temptation to draw up districts unfairly is very real.
“People need the select a representative”not the other way around.”
St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell said the redistricting process won’t affect his chances of re-election, which he just won in 2011. But like others, he criticized the process, mostly its timing.
“Why are they taking so long to get this done?” he asked. “It’s disappointing they can’t get this done quicker.”
While no obvious concerted effort to attack LGBT rights through gerrymandering seems apparent, most agree that redistricting boils down to a Republican vs. Democrat issue.
“When district lines are drawn to favor a certain partisan party,” Becker said, “whatever the value of that party impacts its legislative agenda, and is carried forward in the districts.”
