Florida’s 27 congressional districts drawn by state courts will remain intact, after a federal appeals court upheld the new maps in a ruling issued late Monday. The ruling is another setback for U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, and her quest to hold onto her seat. State courts affirmed a redrawing of districts in January after a lawsuit brought by voters groups claimed that Republican state lawmakers packed too many black voters into her current district, which snakes down from Jacksonville into Orlando. The new district runs from Jacksonville west into Tallahassee.
Brown, a 26-year veteran of Congress, is also facing a federal investigation into her ties to a charity organization the FBI claims did little charity work.
A spokesman for Brown said she is still reviewing the court’s decision and likely won’t decide until Wednesday whether to appeal the ruling.
If Brown opts not to appeal and the districts stand as is, she would have to decide whether to run in the new Jacksonville-Tallahassee district – having campaigned against its existence in the first place – or not run at all.
Full Article: Rep. Brown considers options after redistricting setback – Orlando Sentinel.