State legislators back to work today.
Florida lawmakers began a special session today. They headed back to Tallahassee to consider a new congressional map created by Governor Ron DeSantis. Some Republican and Democratic states have redistricted in a battle for the U.S. House majority before the 2026 midterms. Speaking on WLRN's The Florida Roundup, Carlos Curbelo [KAR-loss ker-BAY-loh] from the Center Aisle Coalition says he disagrees with the practice.
"I oppose all of the extraordinary redistricting efforts. I think they're all toxic. I think they are all efforts to further polarize and divide the country."
Redistricting usually only happens at the start of the decade. Things changed when President Trump pushed Texas lawmakers to add Republican-leaning seats, which they did.
Gov. DeSantis on Monday unveiled his plan to add four Republican-leaning seats to Florida’s congressional delegation in Washington. His plan would leave only four Democratic-leaning seats in Florida and eliminate a Hispanic majority seat in Central Florida. Florida’s 28 congressional seats are currently held by 20 Republicans and eight Democrats. The change to the congressional maps would likely make the outcome 24 to four. Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando said he’s being asked to vote on a congressional map he’s never seen, calling it an illegal process. Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell called it a clearly partisan move.
Other possible topics for the special session include setting restrictions on artificial intelligence use, and increasing parental exemptions for school vaccine immunizations.
DeSantis sued over canceled election for a Brevard judge.
A Brevard County judge's retirement days before his term ends has led to the cancellation of an election for his seat. Governor Ron DeSantis will now appoint a replacement, a move that has prompted a lawsuit from a former candidate. Judicial candidate Margaret Wagner has filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, arguing the move improperly replaces an election with an appointment. The suit alleges the governor’s office sought advance notice of judges’ retirement letters and then reclassified them as resignations, shifting seats from voter elections to gubernatorial appointments. A spokesperson for the Eighteenth Judicial Court said it was not Garagozlo's intention to cancel an election when he sent his retirement letter.
Falcon Heavy to launch on Wednesday.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch was scrubbed Monday morning, just 23 seconds before liftoff due to weather concerns. That mission is now scheduled for Wednesday morning. The 80 minute launch window opens at 10:13AM Wednesday. Expect sonic booms as both side boosters return to the Cape for a landing.
In other space news, a big piece of NASA’s Artemis III rocket has arrived at Kennedy Space Center. The top 4/5ths of the SLS core stage floated into KSC yesterday aboard a NASA barge from Louisiana. Today it was transferred into the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be mated with another piece of the 212-foot core stage of the rocket. Artemis III will fly a crew of four to a near-Earth orbit with the goal of docking with one or both of two lunar landers next year.
