Florida Governor DeSantis’ Staff Refuses to Name Mapmakers Behind GOP Gerrymander

Jason Poreda, a senior official in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration, testified before the state legislature on Tuesday that he was the primary creator of a proposed congressional map designed to further tilt the state’s already Republican-leaning delegation toward the GOP.

The map, which could give Republicans up to 24 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats, is expected to be formally approved by the Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday. It was publicly released on Monday after being provided to Fox News.

Poreda Claims Sole Authorship While Acknowledging Others’ Involvement

During a special legislative session, Poreda told lawmakers he began working on the map two weeks prior and completed it over the weekend. He insisted he was the sole creator but admitted that others contributed and reviewed it. However, he refused to name them.

When State Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Republican from northeast Florida, asked who else worked on the map, Poreda replied, “I did work with other EOG [Executive Office of the Governor] counsel and staff, but I’ll leave it at that.”

State Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat from Palm Beach County, pressed further, asking, “Can you tell us who reviewed this map before it was published yesterday?” Poreda declined to answer, stating, “I’m going to leave that with the same answer I just gave.”

When Berman asked why he couldn’t disclose the reviewers, Poreda said he was “advised by counsel” not to reveal any additional details. Standing beside him was Mohammad Jazil, a private attorney representing the governor’s office, who cited a previous court ruling as the basis for withholding the information.

Partisan Coloring of the Map Raises Questions

Democrats also questioned Poreda about the origins of the red-and-blue-colored version of the map, which was provided to Fox News on Monday morning—before the proposal was submitted to the legislature. The partisan shading, with red for GOP-leaning seats and blue for Democratic ones, is particularly notable given Florida’s constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering.

Poreda admitted he did not know who colored the map in that way. However, he confirmed that he used partisan data, among other datasets, to draft the map, which would create up to four additional Republican-leaning districts.

Florida’s Gerrymandering Reflects a National Trend

Florida is the latest state to engage in aggressive mid-decade redistricting after former President Donald Trump successfully pushed Texas Republicans to revise their maps in 2023. Other GOP-controlled states, including Missouri and North Carolina, have followed suit.

However, as Ari Berman reported last week, “the gerrymandering arms race [Trump] started hasn’t resulted in the lopsided victory the White House envisioned”—at least not yet. For example, California Democrats have resisted similar efforts in their state.