DeSantis Signs New Florida Congressional Map Boosting GOP to Potential 24 Seats

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional map into law on Monday that could flip as many as four additional U.S. House seats to Republicans. The move escalates a redistricting fight in the nation's second-largest red state aimed at countering Democratic dominance in the deep-blue Northeast.

"Signed, sealed and delivered," DeSantis said in a Monday post on X, where he shared an image of Florida's newly redrawn districts.

The GOP-controlled Legislature passed the proposal just days earlier. The Senate approved it one week after DeSantis' office delivered the plan to lawmakers.

DeSantis and Republican allies have cited Florida's population growth as justification for the redraw. The map is expected to draw immediate legal challenges from Democrats and left-wing voting rights groups.

Republicans currently hold a 20-8 advantage in Florida's congressional delegation under the map DeSantis signed four years ago. The new map could expand that to 24 seats by reshaping districts held by Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Darren Soto, D-Fla.; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

The map would keep most of Florida red, relegating four Democratic strongholds to major metro areas.

The affected Democrats have said they intend to seek re-election, though some are considering runs in newly configured districts.

Moskowitz has not made a final decision. If he runs, he would seek the 25th District, a coastal South Florida seat that includes many Jewish voters and roughly half of his current district, he told Politico on Monday.

The district backed President Donald Trump in 2024 but remains competitive in the view of some Republican consultants.

DeSantis has pushed for new congressional lines since last summer. He cited several reasons, including the possibility that the Supreme Court could further restrict how race can be considered in redistricting.

The governor's office said the new map was drawn in a race-neutral manner. That approach led to major changes in a South Florida district previously held by former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., who resigned earlier this month.

Democrats dispute DeSantis' argument. They point in part to Central Florida, where Hispanic voters, many of them Puerto Rican, were split across several districts.