Manatee County splits from Sarasota in Florida’s controversial new congressional maps
Manatee and Sarasota County voters will no longer share a lawmaker in Washington, D.C., following the approval of Florida’s new redistricting maps.
The Florida Legislature voted to approve new congressional maps last week as part of a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But the new maps were immediately challenged in state court, and have been criticized as diminishing Black voting power. The maps likely will be used for the November mid-term elections unless a judge issues an injunction.
The updated version of Florida’s 16th Congressional District removes Sarasota but includes all of Manatee and parts of Hillsborough.
As the map received the governor’s signature on Friday, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, confirmed that he will continue to seek re-election in the district.
“The congressman is looking forward to running for re-election in a district that he has served for the past decade,” said Max Goodman, a spokesperson for Buchanan’s campaign. “Manatee County has always been the heart of the 16th district and will remain so going forward.”
Buchanan’s announcement means that Martin Hyde, his Republican challenger in the primary election, will also continue running for the seat.
“Wherever he runs … I’ll be running against him,” Hyde wrote in a recent Facebook post.
Buchanan, who was first elected to represent the Bradenton area in 2005, is one of the most powerful members of Florida’s congressional delegation. If Republicans take back the House majority later this year, the 70-year-old politician could also become the leader of the Ways & Means Committee, which has major influence over national tax, trade and health care policies.
Local elections officials are still preparing the updated demographics for the district, which now extends north to State Road 60 in Brandon, but FL-16 is likely to retain its Republican majority.
The GOP’s advantage stems largely from voter registration in Manatee County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 41,000 voters.
Hyde and Buchanan are set to face one another in the Republican primary election on Aug. 23.
Jan Schneider, of Sarasota, and Benjamin Miranda-Padilla, of Gibsonton, are both running for the Democratic nomination.
The winners of the Republican and Democrat primary elections will face one another in the general election on Nov. 8.
