June 13, 2025 Story by: Publisher
A federal trial concluded Thursday before a three judge panel as litigants square off on whether Florida’s Legislature racially gerrymandered State Senate District 16. This district includes a portion of south St. Petersburg, along with Tampa, Temple Terrace, and down to Ruskin.
North Hillsborough resident and lead plaintiff Keto Nord Hodges testified in court about the district’s lines.
“The Florida Senate unconstitutionally packed in Black voters in south St. Pete and Hillsborough County together into one district,” Hodges said.
Hodges is one of several plaintiffs. They fear Black voters in that part of Pinellas County are not able to weigh in on issues that matter specifically to them and their neighbors.
“The needs of both those communities are 100% different,” Hodges said. “As far as education, incentives for businesses, including small businesses, transportation including mass transit.”
Photo caption: Florida Senate districts for the Tampa Bay region as drawn by the Florida Legislature. (Photo courtesy of: ACLU lawsuit)
Currently, Democratic State Sen. Darryl Rouson, who is Black, represents District 16. The district that includes of bulk of Pinellas County is District 18, which is represented by Republican State Sen. Nick DiCeglie, who is white.
Plaintiffs argue the district was drawn in 2022 to dilute Black voting strength in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, in breach of the Equal Protection Clause and Florida’s Fair Districts constitutional amendments.
Plaintiffs submitted an alternate map as evidence. They want District 16 to just include portions of Tampa and Hillsborough. Then District 18 will pick up the southern tip of Pinellas County, which could also make it less of a Republican-leaning district than the current district.
The suit, filed by the ACLU of Florida and the Civil Rights & Racial Justice Clinic at New York University on behalf of three residents of Tampa and St. Petersburg, alleges the Legislature packed Black voters into District 16 to reduce their influence in nearby District 18, in violation of their equal-protection rights.
What’s being challenged
- District footprint: District 16 spans unconnected regions—St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and parts of Hillsborough County—across Tampa Bay. Plaintiffs say this unnatural shape was designed to pack Black voters, reducing their influence in neighboring District 18.
- Legal claim: Brought by three Tampa/St. Pete residents with ACLU Florida and NYU’s Civil Rights & Racial Justice Clinic, plaintiffs contend legislators placed race above traditional districting principles—compactness, geography, county integrity—to favor Black representation in one seat at the expense of another.
- Quantified impact: During testimony, Senate staff director Jay Ferrin cited that failure to link the counties would diminish Black voting power in Pinellas by “close to 30%.” That admission was emphasized by plaintiffs as direct evidence of racially motivated mapping.
Stake and next steps
- For plaintiffs: A favorable ruling could lead to Florida’s Senate redraw maps ahead of the 2026 election cycle to restore proper minority representation.
- For Florida Senate: A ruling for the state would reinforce its authority to draw districts under Fair Districts, though legal findings shape future challenges.
- Broader significance: The case tests judicial interpretation of when racial considerations cross constitutional lines in redistricting—echoing past Supreme Court precedents like Shaw v. Reno and Miller v. Johnson. Critics caution that, absent legislative clarity, redistricting battles may increasingly be fought in federal courts.
Behind the maps
- Geographic contiguity: District 16’s split-county layout raised immediate red flags for many—but defense argued cross-bay shape mirrors natural communities and ensures protected representation under Fair Districts.
- Packing vs. protecting: Plaintiffs warn that concentrating minority voters in one seat limits their broader influence. Defenders argue they followed constitutional mandates to avoid diluting minority voting power elsewhere.
Source: Constitution Annotated / Florida Phoenix / WFLA / Yahoo News
