The Miami Herald today published an āopen letterāĀ from Broward County GOP chairmanĀ Richard DeNapoli to the Florida Legislatureās redistricting committees. In it, DeNapoli sharply criticizes state lawmakersā proposals for how Rep. Allen Westās district should be redrawn, saying they doesnāt live up to the Fair Districts standards approved by Florida voters in November 2010.
āMy intention here is to express my concern as a citizen and registered voter of Florida that the proposed maps for Congressional District 22 do not meet Floridaās constitutional requirements,ā DeNapoli writes. āIn my opinion, none of the proposed Florida Senate or Florida House maps for Congressional District 22 conform to Floridaās constitutional requirements contained within Amendments 5 and 6 that districts be compact and, where feasible, āutilize existing political and geographical boundaries.ā[1] Floridaās redistricting is very important and the maps eventually decided upon will control our districts for the next 10 years.ā
DeNapoli also links to a new website, saveallenwest.com, set up by Broward GOP vice chair Colleen Stolberg to protest the redistricting proposals. āCongressional District 22Ā is in danger under the proposed redistricting maps and the Democrats are cheering!ā Stolberg writes on the siteās homepage, adding:
We must Save Congressman Westās district!Ā Call, email and contact everyone listed. Make your voice heard!Ā By removing the western portions of Broward County and replacing them with northeastern portions of Palm Beach County up to the Jupiter Inlet or Palm Beach county line that are in the existing Congressional District 22, the newly proposed District 22 will meet Floridaās constitutional requirements because it would be a compact coastal district that respects political and geographical boundaries.
The Herald has DeNapoliās entire letter posted, and itās worth reading in full.
Broward Republicans arenāt the only members of the GOP saying the new redistricting proposals donāt meet the Fair Districts standards. Mike Yost ā who is challenging Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, in 2012 ā has blasted the Legislature for not significantly changing Brownās in-no-way-compact district, saying he is prepared to file suit if the proposals are eventually approved as is.