Sen. Bill Galvano's court loss on redistricting maps looks like a win in another way

Let this be the end to the expensive legal battle that Florida's Senate has been waging over redistricting maps. The chamber confessed to political designs in its initial boundaries in violation of anti-gerrymandering amendments voters placed in the Constitution. Then the Senate's redrawn maps failed to meet those requirements after a special legislative session as voting rights organizations sued and won.

Then Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, the chamber's majority leader and chairman of the Senate Reapportionment Committee, submitted his own map to the judge officiating the case. But the court ruled Galvano's plan failed to meet those same constitutional tests that districts be compact and don't favor an incumbent or political party.

Instead, Circuit Judge George Reynolds selected the boundaries drawn by the League of Women Voters and Common Cause, the leading plaintiffs in the lawsuit. His decision cited Galvano's "conflicting roles" in drawing his maps, which did not face Senate or House votes.

Galvano suggested a Senate appeal of the decision to the Florida Supreme Court might be in the offing, but enough is enough.

This week, the chamber randomly renumbered all 40 Senate districts to comply with the Reynolds ruling. The 20-even and 20-odd numbered districts will all be up for election in 2016, but even numbers will have to face election again in 2018.

Manatee County is now in District 21, so the winner -- Galvano's just about a lock there -- will be in office until 2020. Galvano expects to be Senate president from 2018-2020, having told the Herald he has enough pledge cards from sitting senators to win the post. Redistricting could change that dynamic by creating more competitive political races, though.

Interestingly, District 21 now encompasses all of Manatee County and a large portion of Hillsborough County -- which could have pit Galvano against another powerful Republican senator, Tom Lee of Brandon, Senate president from 2004-2006. Lee represents that part of Hillsborough today, but has indicated he will move north out of the newly drawn District 21 into a new district without an incumbent. District 20 includes portions of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.

That should help ensure Galvano's future as chamber president.

What does the Senate have to gain from an appeal of the Reynolds decision? Uncertainty, for sure, just as the November election approaches. Candidates would only be sitting on the sidelines without certainty in district boundaries. How would campaign contributions go under that scenario?

The chamber would be wise to throw in the towel, accept the constitutionality of the new districts and move on to campaign mode.

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sen. Bill Galvano's court loss on redistricting maps looks like a win in another way ."