Florida Defends 29-Page Congressional Map Filing as August Primary Nears

5 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 13

A 29-page court filing on Wednesday urged judges to keep Florida’s new congressional map in place, arguing challengers offered only scant evidence that it was drawn for partisan gain.
August’s primary is now too close to unwind a map approved just two weeks ago, the state said, while also insisting a trial is needed before any finding of partisan gerrymandering.
Florida’s lawyers went further by arguing the state no longer must follow the Fair Districts anti-gerrymandering standards, calling those provisions unconstitutional after a state Supreme Court ruling on another part of the amendment.
The dispute centers on districts reshaped in Tampa Bay and Orlando, including one held by Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, after Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed mid-decade redistricting even though the new plan still uses 2022 Census data.

Why was Florida's map redrawn for population growth but created using four-year-old census data?