For Immediate Release: March 13, 2026/Press Contact: Eleazar Meléndez, 212-729-6672
In response to the Florida Legislature’s decision to pursue an aggressive and unprecedented mid-decade redistricting of Florida’s Congressional map as well as the Supreme Court decision curtailing the reach of the Voting Rights Act, Ana Sofia Pelaez, co-founder of the Miami Freedom Project, issued the following statement:
“Florida’s Legislature has chosen to thrust our state into the center of a growing national redistricting battle by rushing through an unprecedented mid-decade redraw of congressional maps just months before an election. This process, unveiled by Governor DeSantis and approved in a matter of days, is an obvious effort to disenfranchise voters and consolidate Republican power.
The decision will likely lead to immediate challenges at the state and federal level. Anticipating those challenges, Republican officials who spoke on the record insisted the maps were legally necessary. At the same time, many of those same officials have appeared in news media or been quoted privately admitting partisan outcomes were explicitly considered in drawing the maps. We hope the Florida Supreme Court, where this issue is almost certain to end up, will stand up for our Constitution and reject this effort.
What’s happening in Florida is not isolated. This week the Supreme Court ruled to further weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, opening the door for states to redraw districts in ways that reduce minority representation. As we grapple with this revocation of one of the pillars of that legacy, we honor their work and remain committed to carrying this fight forward — because the cause of minority representation is not diminished by this setback; it is renewed.”
