MIAMI — Miami Sen. Annette Taddeo does not plan to be at the special session of the Florida Legislature next week to approve Florida’s congressional districts.

Her boycott, which she announced on Wednesday, stems from a letter signed this week by the two Republican leaders in the Legislature — Senate Speaker Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprows — saying they would rather get Governor Ron DeSantis’ approval of a new congressional card before submitting one of their own.

Public acknowledgment that they will defer to DeSantis on a process historically led by the Legislature has sent ripples among voting rights groups and redistricting experts, who say the move is unprecedented and gives DeSantis the unilateral power to decide how Florida will be represented in Congress in a midterm election year that should benefit Republicans.

But rather than go to Tallahassee, Taddeo says she objects to “wasting taxpayers’ money going there,” when legislative leaders have all but handed over the job of redrawing the maps to the governor. Taddeo is campaigning for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to oppose DeSantis in November.

“I’m not going to play the game anymore, I’m not here to play the game. I don’t need an elected position, I have a job, I have a family, I have everything. I’m here to really make a difference for Floridians, and us as Democrats, if we don’t stand up for that, I don’t know what we will stand for,” Taddeo said.

There has been a lot of outrage from Florida Democrats as Republicans have fought over how to draw Florida’s congressional maps, including two weeks ago when DeSantis vetoed the map of Congress approved by the Florida House and Senate because it did not dismantle North Florida’s 5th Congressional District and the Orlando District. Congressional District 10, both of which favor black candidates. His main argument is that the two districts are illegally gerrymanders to favor a minority group and want to attract “racially neutral” districts.

It does not appear, however, that any Democrats in the Legislative Assembly are so far supporting Taddeo in his boycott. Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book of Plantation declined to comment for this story.

Asked about Taddeo’s call for a boycott at a press conference in Tallahassee, fellow gubernatorial candidate and Florida agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried declined to say whether she supported the move.

“The legislature has done something extremely dangerous. They gave absolute power to this governor to draw maps for our congressional districts. This responsibility is supposed to rest with the Legislative Assembly. I’m not in the Legislative Assembly, so it’s not my decision or my choice or even my opinion on what the Democratic caucus should do. But it is irresponsible of this legislature to have given so much power to the governor knowing that he has abused it time and time again,” Fried said.

And in a statement, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, also a Democratic primary candidate to challenge DeSantis, said he thought it was important that Democrats – who face a majority of Republicans in the Senate and a supermajority in the Chamber – speak on the floor.

“I think it’s important that our lawmakers are aware of Governor DeSantis’ abuse of power. What he is trying to do is illegal and we need to build the legislative case because all of this will ultimately be decided by the courts. There is a lot at stake here, both locally and nationally,” Crist said.

Undeterred, Taddeo said she couldn’t go to Tallahassee and ‘pretend all is well’ during the approval of Florida’s new congressional districts next week, which she called a ‘farce’ .

“I hope the court decides to go with the map properly drawn according to the intention of the voters where they overwhelmingly said not to draw it politically to one party or another,” Taddeo said, referring to the amendments. fair districts of Florida that DeSantis wants to challenge. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with this, but I’m not going to waste taxpayers’ money or my time or pretend that my speaking on the floor is going to make a difference or change a vote.”

Taddeo said the only way for her to go to Tallahassee is if lawmakers are able to add the growing state property insurance crisis to the special session agenda. When asked what she would be doing next week instead of going to Tallahassee, Taddeo said she would be dealing with “real issues.”

“Whatever I do will be something to help people with the real issues, whether it’s insurance or the rent crisis. This is what we should be attacking. Now, if they put that (property insurance) on the agenda, I’ll be there. Hundred. With the bells.

Times/Herald Tallahassee desk writer Kirby Wilson contributed to this report.

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