Florida lawmakers overseeing redistricting have promised an open, transparent process, planning to hold at least 20 public hearings around the state and sharing new software that allows the public to explore different proposals for drawing district lines. A new law could help make those promises a reality.
But under existing law, drafts of redistricting plans are exempt from public records laws. They aren’t required to be made public until they have been introduced as bills.
A bill introduced last week by state Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Destin, would change that, lifting a variety of exemptions on records controled by the state’s legislative branch, including drafts of redistricting proposals.
His father, Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is overseeing redistricting in the Senate.
