Current and former elected leaders file an amicus brief challenging Governor DeSantis’s 2022 redrawn congressional maps that violate Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments and dilute Black voting power
(March 11, 2024) TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Public Rights Project (PRP) and 31 current and former elected Florida officials have filed an amicus brief with the Florida Supreme Court in Black Voters Matter v. Byrd, urging the court to reinstate a pre-2022 congressional map that ensures a Black-voting district is included in the 2024 election. The case raises important legal issues about the ability of communities of color to have meaningful and sustained representation at all levels of government in Florida.
“Black voters face discrimination at all levels of government, and redrawing a congressional map to diminish Black voting power is yet another example of voter suppression,” said Jonathan Miller, Public Rights Project’s Chief Program Officer. “Black residents—from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and beyond—have shared experiences and history that hold the communities together and shape their identity today. It’s critical that the prior congressional map be reinstated to ensure North Floridians can vote for leaders who reflect their interests.”
The filing was led by PRP, a national nonprofit that works with local governments to protect civil rights. PRP has a proven track record protecting voting rights and free and fair elections across the country, and in recent months has worked closely with local officials in Alabama, Louisiana, and Wisconsin to fight for fairer maps and ensure representation of communities of color. PRP is representing the Florida coalition as part of the free resources it provides through its new Election Protection Hub, which will support more than 200 local elections officials facing unprecedented challenges and attacks that aim to undermine the 2024 elections.
Black Voters Matter v. Byrd challenges the Florida congressional districts that were redrawn in 2022 after Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a map approved by the state legislature. A new map was then proposed by Governor DeSantis and passed by the legislature, which divided Black voters in Florida’s Congressional District 5 into four other districts, effectively eliminating a traditionally Black-represented district.
PRP’s amicus brief argues that Congressional District 5 should be reinstated based on the Fair Districts Amendment in the Florida Constitution that ensures communities of color do not experience vote dilution or diminishment of their collective power. The brief contends that the appeals court erred on the legal standard to apply and that it was mistaken in concluding the district did not meet the criteria for compact community interest.
The brief highlights how constituents of the previous district—particularly voters of color from Jacksonville through Tallahassee–had a historically shared community of interest, a key criteria for determining fairness of district maps. It references events over several centuries that brought Black communities in the district together, from the development of Black institutions to civil rights movements. The brief also speaks to the centuries of racial oppression and violence that have contributed directly to ongoing and systemic disparities.
Despite changes in the North Florida district’s configuration over 30 years, Black residents have had a candidate of their choice to represent them in Congress throughout. Before the map was redrawn, Congressional District 5 was represented by Black leaders Rep. Al Lawson from 2017-2023 and Rep. Corrine Brown from 1992-2017.
“It is imperative that good people of conscience step up and fight back to preserve our democracy and the gains we made with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” said Dorothy Inman-Johnson, Former Tallahassee Mayor and City Commissioner. “The trauma of our past requires that we have representation by people who have our lived experiences and have a deep understanding of the needs in communities of color. Florida is the worst example of Jim Crow-era politics with attempts to turn back the clock on rights guaranteed to us under the U.S. Constitution and erase our history.”
Last year, 14 states passed laws making it harder for people to vote, and pre-filed bills and proposed legislation carried over from 2023 could lead to more voting restrictions in 25 states this year. These efforts are part of a wide range of attacks on voting rights that are threatening access to free and fair elections—especially for Black and brown low-income voters.
Current and former elected officials who joined PRP in filing the brief include:
David Arreola, Former Commissioner, City of Gainesville
Jennifer Andreu, Councilmember, City of Plantation
Tyrona Clark-Murray, Councilmember, City of Jacksonville
Carolyn Cummings, Commissioner, Leon County
Dr. Alix Desulme, Mayor, City of North Miami
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
Ashley Gantt, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
Michael Gottlieb, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
Andrew Gillum, Former Mayor, City of Tallahassee
VeEtta Hagan, School Board Member, Madison County
Rita Harris. State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
Anthony C. Hill. Former State Senator, Florida State Senate
Brenda Holt, Commissioner, Gadsden County
Dorothy Inman-Johnson, Former Mayor and Commissioner, City of Tallahassee
Sabrina Javellana, Former Commissioner, City of Hallandale Beach
Gail Johnson, Former Mayor Pro-Tem, City of Gainesville
Darryl Jones, School Board Member, Leon County
Shevrin Jones, State Senator, Florida Senate
Alfred “Al” Lawson, Jr., Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives
Jeremy Matlow, Commissioner, City of Tallahassee
Wayne Messam, Mayor, City of Miramar
Nancy Metayer Bowen, Commissioner, City of Coral Springs
Marcus Nicolas, School Board Member, Leon County
Angie Nixon, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
David O’Keefe, Commissioner, Leon County
Jacqueline “Jack” Porter, Commissioner, City of Tallahassee
Michele Rayner, State Representative, Florida House of Representatives
Gladys Roann-Watson, School Board Member, Jefferson County
Ion Sancho, Former Supervisor of Elections, Leon County
Kelli Ann Thomas, Former Vice Chair, Community Council 14, Miami-Dade County
Victor Torres, State Senator, Florida Senate
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About Public Rights Project
Public Rights Project (PRP) is a 501(c)(3) legal advocacy nonprofit that works with local government officials to protect and expand the rights of the communities they serve, including voting rights, reproductive rights, workers rights, and more. Founded in 2017 by Jill Habig, former special counsel to Kamala Harris in the California Attorney General’s Office, PRP works with more than 500 local and state governments and officials across 43 states to fight against abuses of power and help advance and protect civil rights. PRP provides state and local governments with the capacity, training, representation and legal support they need to build trust with communities, take action to enforce civil rights, and ensure that voters’ voices are heard. PRP is staffed by dedicated lawyers and public servants with decades of combined experience in community organizing, program development, and promoting affirmative litigation. Since its founding, PRP has protected 1 million working people from corporate abuse, ensured voting rights for 10 million people, and secured legal access to abortion for 6.5 million people.
Web: https://www.publicrightsproject.org/
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PRESS CONTACT:
Grace Kair, Chatham Strategies: GraceK@chatham-strategies.com; press@publicrightsproject.org
