Leaders hear call for minority seat in Congress
Central Florida's growth means greater congressional clout next year, and Hispanic and black leaders told lawmakers Wednesday they expect the region to be rewarded with at least one new U.S. House district likely to elect a minority candidate.
About 40 legislators and more than 650 people showed up for two hearings on the redistricting process at Orlando's Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. The Legislature is taking public comments at 26 such sessions around the state this summer before drawing new maps for 160 legislative and 27 congressional seats, including two new ones resulting from the state's population growth.
Voting-rights groups such as the League of Women Voters have blasted the road show so far because lawmakers have yet to draw maps and are continuing to fight the Fair Districts redistricting reforms by joining a federal lawsuit filed by two minority congressional members.
But Senate Redistricting Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and House counterpart Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel said Wednesday their plan was to get the maps passed as early in the session as possible, to avoid potential political chaos closer to candidate qualifying. Lawmakers will convene an earlier-than-usual lawmaking session Jan. 10 to enact the new maps by March 9.
"As soon as we possibly can, we want to take the votes on the maps," Weatherford said. "We're very sensitive to the very tight time frame that we're living in here."
It was Central Florida's claim on a new congressional seat — and, potentially, one that would allow Hispanics to elect their own candidate — that took center stage Wednesday.
More than half of the state's growth in the past decade — 55 percent — came from an increase in the Hispanic population, with a majority coming along the Interstate 4 corridor. The Central Florida counties of Orange, Osceola, Volusia, Lake and Seminole led the state in population growth.
Of the 541,000 additional people in the region, 267,000 were Hispanics. Yet the region has no Hispanic members of Congress, no Hispanic state senators, and only one state House member, Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando.
Emilio Perez, chairman of the Central Florida Redistricting Council Inc. in Orlando, said it would be a slap in the face for the Hispanic community if lawmakers don't draw a Hispanic-access congressional district. "It will be like penalizing us for the growth that landed this state two new congressional districts," he said.
Latino Justice, a New York-based civil-rights group that has been working with local leaders, is proposing a district that would include eastern and southern Orange, northern Osceola and northwest Polk County and be 46 percent Hispanic. Beginning roughly in Union Park, the district would run southwest and include Kissimmee, St. Cloud and Haines City.
Juan Cartagena, a lawyer and director of the group, said that a 50 percent or higher Hispanic district would be difficult to draw under the Fair Districts rules that are intended to prevent gerrymandering.
Cartagena also warned lawmakers that "legally, it is impossible to comply with the Voters' Right Act in a way that ignores Latinos in Central Florida," referring to the federal law that requires special consideration of minority populations.
"Nevertheless, a 46 percent [population] is significant," he said. "And the fact that it would be 12 percent African American lends itself to great coalition-building opportunities."
But the Rev. Randolph Bracy Jr., former president of the Orange branch of the NAACP, told lawmakers the seat should be drawn to elect a black representative.
Another retired pastor, the Rev. Nelson W. Pinder, then implored lawmakers not to play "race against race" and urged them to give the region both a black and a Hispanic district. "Don't fence me out; fence me in," he said.
Gaetz said Wednesday it was likely that Central Florida would land one of the state's two new seats, but he said there may be legal "tension" between drawing districts likely to elect minorities and the Fair Districts amendments, which call for districts that are compact, respect geographical lines and are not drawn to favor parties or individuals.
Fair Districts supporters have insisted that criticism is wrong.
Jackie Colón, a former Brevard County commissioner and Florida director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, said that building support for a Central Florida Latino district in other parts of Florida and remaining "vigilant" is the next step for Hispanic leaders.
"We're working with local Latino leaders to prepare them for events like this one," Colón said. "We need to advocate effectively and be present in meetings. We can't complain later if we're not part of the process."