TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a congressional map pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis during a raucous session as Black lawmakers chanted in protest over what they say will diminish the state’s Black representation in the U.S. House.
The DeSantis map would increase Florida’s GOP representation in Florida and would dismantle two districts now held by Black members of Congress.
The Florida House approved the measure along party lines after a brief delay when Black lawmakers staged a sit-in on the House floor. As debate on the maps was nearing an end, Reps. Angie Nixon and Tray McCurdy opened up their suit jackets to display “Stop The Black Attack” T-shirts and shouted the same phrase. They sat on the state seal in front of the House speaker’s rostrum and were soon joined by other other Black Democrats and other supporters.
