Florida Senate - 2012 SB 1608
By Senator Gaetz
4-01605-12 20121608__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act establishing the congressional districts of the
3 state; amending s. 8.0001, F.S.; revising definitions;
4 amending s. 8.0002, F.S.; redistricting the state’s
5 congressional districts in accordance with the United
6 States Decennial Census of 2010 (plan ________);
7 amending s. 8.0111, F.S., relating to the inclusion of
8 unlisted territory in contiguous districts; updating a
9 reference; reenacting s. 8.031, F.S., which provides
10 for the election of representatives to the United
11 States House of Representatives; amending s. 8.0611,
12 F.S.; providing for severability; amending s. 8.07,
13 F.S.; providing for applicability; providing effective
14 dates.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Section 8.0001, Florida Statutes, is amended to
19 read:
20 8.0001 Definitions.—In accordance with s. 8(a), Article X
21 of the State Constitution, the United States Decennial Census of
22 2010 2000 is the official census of the state for the purposes
23 of congressional redistricting.
24 (1) The following delineation of areas to be included in
25 each congressional districts district employs areas included
26 within official county, voting tabulation district, tract, and
27 block boundary descriptions counties, tracts, block groups, and
28 blocks in this state used by the United States Department of
29 Commerce, Bureau of the Census, in compiling the United States
30 Decennial Census of 2010 in this state 2000. The populations
31 within these census geographic units areas are the population
32 figures reported in the counts of the United States Decennial
33 Census of 2010 2000 provided to the state in accordance with
34 Pub. L. No. 94-171.
35 (2) As used in this chapter, the term:
36 (a) “Block” describes the smallest geographic unit means a
37 census block, which is the smallest area for which population
38 was tabulated reported in the 2010 decennial 2000 census. Blocks
39 are nested within tracts and within voting tabulation districts.
40 A block is identified by a four-digit integer that is unique
41 within a tract but is not necessarily unique within a voting
42 tabulation district.
43 (b) “Tract” describes a relatively permanent statistical
44 subdivision of a county updated by local participants prior to
45 the 2010 decennial census. Tracts consist of whole blocks and
46 are nested within counties. Tracts are identified uniquely
47 within a county by an up to four-digit integer and may have an
48 optional two-digit suffix.
49 (c) “Voting tabulation district” describes a subdivision of
50 a county established in Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting
51 Data Program. Voting tabulation districts consist of whole
52 blocks and are nested within counties. Voting tabulation
53 districts subdivide counties in ways supervisors of elections
54 determined are efficient for conducting elections and keeping
55 communities whole. Voting tabulation districts are identified
56 uniquely within a county by an up to four-digit integer.
57 (b) “Block group” means a cluster of blocks within a tract
58 which have the same first digit in their block identification
59 number.
60 (c) “Tract” means a census tract, which is a cluster of
61 blocks within a county which is delineated by local committee
62 according to Census Bureau guidelines. Tracts are identified
63 uniquely within a county by a four-digit basic number and may
64 have a two-digit numeric suffix.
65 Section 2. Section 8.0002, Florida Statutes, is amended to
66 read:
67 (Substantial rewording of section. See
68 s. 8.0002, F.S., for present text.)
69 8.0002 Division of state into congressional districts.—For
70 the election of representatives to the Unites States House of
71 Representatives, the state is divided into 27 consecutively
72 numbered, single-member congressional districts of contiguous
73 territory, to be designated by such numbers as follows:
74
75 Section 3. Section 8.0111, Florida Statutes, is amended to
76 read:
77 8.0111 Inclusion of unlisted territory in contiguous
78 districts.—Any portion of the state which is not stated in this
79 chapter as being included in any district described in this
80 chapter but which is entirely surrounded by a district shall be
81 deemed to be included within the surrounding that district. Any
82 portion of the state which is not included in any district
83 described in this chapter and which is not entirely surrounded
84 by a district shall be included within that district contiguous
85 to such portion that which contains the least population per
86 representative according to the United States Decennial Census
87 of 2010 2000; however, if every district contiguous to such
88 portion has an equal population, such portion shall be included
89 within the lowest-numbered lowest numbered district that is
90 contiguous to such portion.
91 Section 4. Section 8.031, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to
92 read:
93 8.031 Election of representatives to Congress.—The
94 districts named in s. 8.0002 constitute and form the
95 congressional districts of the state, and a representative to
96 the Congress shall be selected in and for each of the
97 congressional districts as provided by law.
98 Section 5. Section 8.0611, Florida Statutes, is amended to
99 read:
100 8.0611 Severability.—If any provision of this chapter is
101 held invalid with respect to any person or circumstance, or if
102 any congressional district established in this chapter is held
103 invalid, the invalidity does shall not affect other provisions
104 or applications of the chapter or any other districts
105 established in this chapter which can be given effect without
106 the invalid provision or application, and to this end the
107 provisions of this chapter are declared severable.
108 Section 6. Effective upon this act becoming a law, section
109 8.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
110 8.07 Applicability.—The congressional districts prescribed
111 in s. 8.0002 apply with respect to the qualification,
112 nomination, and election to the office of representative to the
113 Congress of the United States in the primary primaries and
114 general elections held in 2012 2002 and thereafter.
115 Section 7. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
116 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
117 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect upon the
118 expiration of the terms of the representatives to the United
119 States House of Representatives serving on the date that this
120 act becomes a law.