ORLANDO, Fla. — How much does it cost to hold a special session? It depends on who you ask. State statutes set some broad guidelines for an $80 per day per diem for lawmakers; however, records from the 2015 special session peg the daily cost of about $50,000 per day including all other expenses.
Taxpayers will foot this bill as lawmakers travel back to Tallahassee to, again, draw congressional maps.
In March, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the map that lawmakers passed during the regular session, triggering a special session. Last week, the governor sent his map for lawmakers to consider, a map that most expect will pass with little to no changes.
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“This is really an unprecedented move by the governor,” says University of Central Florida political science professor Dr. Aubrey Jewett. “In all the year, not any state has ever just said ‘governor draw a map send it to us and we will accept it’ but that is what is happening.”
“We have a legislature for a reason, they should produce their own maps I think that we have a job to do, and our constituents expect us to produce constitutional maps,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes (R - Pinellas County) when asked about the prospect that the legislature will just rubber-stamp anything that the Governor sends.
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The map submitted by the governor would cut Duval County in two while cutting Orlando in three, moves critics say would dilute Black votes in North and Central Florida.
“All the Republican leadership and lawmakers are on board with this plan, it’s unfair, it’s unconstitutional,” said Sen. Randolph Bracy (D - Orange County). “This map clearly violates state law and federal law, it violates the voting rights act.”
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Democrats do not have the votes to stop the DeSantis map, and political observers say Republicans may be leery of bucking the governor since he has not yet signed the budget, and could line-item veto member projects or endorse a primary challenge in their upcoming race.
“They may be gun-shy of opposing him (DeSantis) and that means they are likely to give him what he wants,” says Jewett.
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