The Florida Supreme Court ruled last week in a 5-1 decision to uphold the state's current congressional redistricting map, rejecting a challenge over the elimination of a heavily gerrymandered majority-black district (District 5) in North Florida. The district encompassed a 200-mile stretch from Jacksonville to west of Tallahassee, which the court ruled violates the Constitution's equal projection guarantees. The court said such a district would amount to impermissible racial gerrymandering.
"[There] is no plausible, non-racial explanation for using a nearly 200-mile-long land bridge to connect the black populations of Jacksonville and Tallahassee," the court said.
The plaintiffs had argued that the District 5 overhaul effectively prevented black voters in North Florida from electing a candidate of their choice.
A return to common sense
Keith Gross is a former state prosecutor who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Senator Rick Scott in the 2024 GOP Senate primary.
"It's a great decision by the court, and we're finally seeing common sense return to court opinions," he tells AFN. "What we see here is a decision that makes clear that discrimination is wrong, no matter what side it's from or who it is intended to favor."
Gross – who describes himself as an "unapologetic" Trump supporter – says for decades DEI policies have masqueraded as Affirmative Action.
"But the reality is it was always racial discrimination," he continues. "Racial discrimination is wrong, even if it's done for well-intentioned reasons – and here we have the court saying exactly that: You can't form a district just to favor a particular race."
The decision means Florida's current congressional districts, which give Republicans a 20-to-8 advantage over Democrats, will remain in place for the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.
