TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers convened a special session in Tallahassee on Tuesday to consider redrawing the state's congressional map in an effort to add Republican seats in Congress. Lawmakers entered the session without a preview of a proposed map and with no clear path for Republicans to increase their representation.

Governor Ron DeSantis's staff have been drafting a congressional redistricting map in private, with plans to present it during the session. The state legislature had previously postponed consideration of a mid-decade redistricting while awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v Callais, which has not yet been issued.

In a memo, state senate President Ben Albritton said the chamber would await a proposal from the executive branch. "The senate is not drafting or producing a map for introduction during the special session," Albritton wrote. "It is our expectation that a proposal will be transmitted from the governor's office to the senate for our consideration."

Albritton also cautioned senators about outside influence and potential litigation. His memo noted that state senators were subject to discovery in previous lawsuits brought by the League of Women Voters of Florida. "We can only consider thoughts and feedback in keeping with constitutional standards," Albritton wrote. "Senators should take care to insulate themselves from partisan-funded organizations and other interests that may intentionally or unintentionally attempt to inappropriately influence redistricting."

Florida currently sends 20 Republicans and eight Democrats to Congress. Districts represented by Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna and María Elvira Salazar are considered competitive and have been identified as targets by Democratic congressional leadership. Creating additional Republican-leaning districts would require altering existing Republican districts, potentially producing seat losses in some areas while gaining seats in others. Alex Alvarado, a Republican political analyst at the Civic Data and Research Institute, argued in a memo that an aggressive redistricting effort in Florida would create three additional competitive districts but yield no net gain for Republicans.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that Democrats would contest the effort. "If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats, just as they did with Trump's dummymander in Texas," Jeffries said. "We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win. Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time."

Florida voters ratified the Fair Districts amendment in 2010, a state constitutional provision barring political gerrymandering. DeSantis rejected congressional maps drawn by the Florida legislature in 2022 and presented his own map. Florida courts later ruled that communications from the governor and his staff in the resulting redistricting lawsuit were protected by executive privilege. The deadline to file to run for Congress in Florida is June 12, and the state's party primary votes for Congress are scheduled for August 18.