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MRAC adopts Baga 2 remix map, sponsor cites precinct-splitting costs and compactness
Summary
Member Baga’s revised plan, Baga 2, was accepted by the committee; sponsor emphasized avoiding split precincts and keeping growth areas unified.
The Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee approved Baga 2 on July 9 after its sponsor described the plan as a "remix" intended to preserve core districts while reducing precinct splits and keeping communities compact.
Member Baga said he revised his earlier submission to respond to committee feedback, and he emphasized cost and administrative impacts of splitting precincts. Baga said he consulted the supervisor of elections’ office, which provided a rough estimate that splitting a precinct can cost roughly $3,000 to $6,000 (staffing, notice and polling-location changes), a variable figure he said the committee should weigh when evaluating plans.
Baga 2 retains a single Pine Hills district, keeps Lake Nona together, and creates a new District 7 centered near the northern corridor while carving an 8th district from a downtown-to-south area. Attorney White said the map meets the one-person, one-vote threshold with a lower maximum population deviation of 6.92 percent and recommended a numbering adjustment to preserve incumbency provisions under the county charter.
Some members supported the map for its handling of Pine Hills and Lockhart. Member Kelsheimer said Lockhart is placed in District 2 on Baga 2, a point his commissioner had emphasized. Member Veil La Portilla said she would not support the map because it splits Alafaya and Union Park; other members said the map provides a workable base and could be amended later.
The motion to approve Baga 2 was moved by Member Baga and seconded by Member Kelsheimer. The clerk called the roll; the motion passed 7–6. Attorney White noted one technical fix: swapping numbering for two districts to avoid inadvertently forcing an incumbent into a short two-year term when the charter’s provisions do not require it.
The committee accepted Baga 2 and will include it in the pool of plans subject to amendment and the winnowing process in August. Sponsors were again reminded that they can withdraw maps that appear redundant to speed the committee’s work.
