NEW YORK – The Boricua Mesa of Florida thundered against the idea of Governor Ron DeSantis to redesign electoral mapsgiven that will dilute the Puerto Rican vote in the state which at the moment is the one that houses the largest number of members of that community in the country.
The coalition, made up of several Puerto Rican organizations in the state such as “Boricua Vota,” indicated that The redistribution that took place yesterday represents a “hard blow” for Puerto Ricans and their electoral rights.
“With this new map approved in Tallahassee yesterday (Wednesday), Instead of voters choosing their candidates, they choose their electors. For Puerto Ricans in Florida, this redistricting deals a hard blow, because it dilutes our vote and therefore our ability to choose who represents us,” the activists stated in written statements at the request of El Diario.
In the opinion of the members of La Mesa Boricua, The governor and his allies in the Legislature seek to advance the electoral interests of the Republican Party in violation of the state Constitution.
“Under the Florida Constitution, drawing electoral maps to favor any political party is illegal. However, for the past year, we have heard multiple excuses from the governor and his lackeys in the legislature to redraw districts to favor their party, at the request of the president, and ignoring the Florida constitution, and the fair representation of the communities. Furthermore, it violates the Florida Constitution, and the will of the voters who in 2010 approved the fair districts amendment by an overwhelming 63%,” they stated.
In the opinion of Puerto Rican activists, DeSantis should address issues like the high cost of living instead of trying to consolidate his power.
“It is very disappointing that, instead of doing their job to reduce the exorbitant cost of food, insurance and public services in Florida that affects us all, including the more than one million Puerto Ricans who have made Central Florida their home, politicians like Ron DeSantis and his Legislature believe they are above the law and use our tax dollars to political and illegal tricks to consolidate their powerrewriting the rules and silencing the voices of constituents who deserve to decide what is best for their future,” they stated.
The Florida legislature approved a new congressional map this Wednesday in order for Republicans to gain electoral advantage in the state.
The action is framed in similar initiatives in other states such as Texas and California ahead of the midterm elections in which the entire House and a third of the Senate will be renewed.
The vote came two days after DeSantis presented his proposal. Also, yesterday,The US Supreme Court struck down a key racial provision of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) What detractors of the ruling anticipate it will have harmful effects on minority communities.
The governor reportedly provided the redesign to lawmakers for evaluation just about 24 hours before the special session.
An Orlando Sentinel report highlighted that DeSantis’ idea will fragment the Latino vote, which includes that of Puerto Ricansand will distribute them among several Republican-leaning districts. The report states that the move would be in violation of the state’s “Elegant Districts Amendments”in addition to the fact that it would be unconstitutional.
Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 seats in Congress.
With the change, the districts held by Democrats Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel, Darren Soto and Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be affected or the four seats could remain in Republican hands.
In the case of Soto’s seat, of Puerto Rican origin and who represents Kissimmee in District 9, this would be considerably leaning towards the Republican Party.
Additionally, under the reapportionment, Rep. Jared Moskowitz would become part of a new district.
In an interview on FOX Files, the governor stated that the new maps had to be made a long time ago.
“I vetoed the legislative maps in 2022. We ended up making a compromised map, We got rid of a racially biased district through gerrymandering in North Florida. But we still have one in South Florida, which I don’t think is constitutional. This map removes that racial ‘gerrymandering’. We are also in a situation in Florida…we have had a massive population ‘enhancement’. We have congressional districts, the 14th, for example, which has 100,000 fewer votes than the 12th district, which are close, because there has been growth in certain parts of the state. So I’ve always wanted to do this. I think the numbers justify it…” DeSantis defended.
In response to the controversy, Soto shared on the social network DeSantis declared war on Puerto Ricans and Latinos in Central Florida.
“In the process, he violates the US and Florida Constitutions. This is not about one person, including me. This is about destroying the representation of our community. It is unacceptable,” he asserted.
Some 1.2 million Puerto Ricans reside in Florida with the highest concentration in areas such as Orlando (Orange), Kissimmee (Osceola) and Sanford (Seminole).
According to a 2021 Brennan Middle report citing census data, Non-white Floridians represented more than 90% of the 2,736,877 people the state added to its population in the last decade as a result of the increase in the Latino population.
Much of the The increase in communities in central Florida is attributed, precisely, to the growth of the Puerto Rican populationespecially in the Orlando metropolitan area.
“In Orange and Osceola counties, people of Puerto Rican descent make up the largest proportion of the Latino population. By 2019, almost one in 10 people residing in Orange and Osceola counties had been born in Puerto Rico,” the analysis specified.
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