JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The newly passed redistricting maps don’t make any big shifts in the balance of power of each district.
It was meant to keep roughly the same level of party registration.
The approved map will go to the mayor to sign or veto, and the plan is expected to go into effect by November.
For Andrew Pantazi, editor of the nonprofit news site The Tributary, it represents the status quo.
“This time city council decided that they liked the map as is it. All of them got elected to this map and they decided they wanted to preserve the status quo as much as possible and protect incumbents," said Pantazi.
Pantazi has been following the efforts of Jacksonville’s new redistricting map for a while, he says the new map doesn’t sit well with some community members.
“Mostly black residents who come from those districts have been upset that they’ve been packed in, that there's so many black residents in those districts that it reduces their voice," said Pantazi.
The maps preserve four predominantly Black voting districts, something critics, including the NAACP, say dilute the diversity of other districts.
Ben Frazier, President of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, said in a statement:
“When it comes to redistricting the city council had an opportunity to make a touchdown but instead, they fumbled the ball in the red zone. The penalty may have to be decided by federal court.”
“This has nothing to do with race and also the rules chair who was over this process was also African American," said City Council President Sam Newby.
Newby says the city has been working on the new map for months and believes there was community buy in.