Redistricting panel advances SPEARS 3 map amid public calls for stronger minority opportunity districts

The Orange County Mid Decennial Redistricting Committee voted 10-3 on May 22, 2025, to advance a map submitted by member Jimmy Affant, identified in materials as SPEARS 3, for further legal review and public consideration.

The vote came after about an hour of public comment and committee discussion in which community advocates pushed the committee to create majority or opportunity districts that increase Black and Latino voting power, and several commissioners and committee members urged maps that keep municipalities and neighborhoods intact.

Affant, a committee member who presented SPEARS 3, said his guiding principle was “least disturbance” of existing districts. He described the plan as minimizing changes, leaving most county municipalities intact and splitting only the City of Orlando among multiple districts. Affant said he adjusted District 5 by consolidating contiguous neighborhoods along Colonial Drive to avoid what he described as repeatedly splitting communities, and created two new districts (proposed Districts 7 and 8) to meet population requirements under the census-driven mid-decade process.

During a staff legal review, County attorney Courtney White reported that the plan “presumptively meets the one person, one vote threshold” with a maximum deviation of about 5.70 percent, that boundaries are contiguous, and that the proposed numbering complies with Florida Statute 100.1014 and section 204(a) of the county charter. White noted the plan does not create majority-minority districts; instead it would produce three Hispanic-plurality districts (proposed Districts 3, 4 and 8) and two Black-plurality districts (proposed Districts 6 and 7). She reminded the committee that race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing districts unless narrowly tailored to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Public commenters asked the committee to prioritize race- and community-conscious lines. Samuel Delgado of Central Florida Jobs With Justice said the group’s priorities include measures “to see the voting power of Black and Latino residents in Orange County increase” and to draw new districts that keep those communities whole. Giancarlo Rodriguez of Sunrise Movement Orlando told the committee he favored a map released by member Rishi Baga and urged keeping heavily Hispanic South Orlando neighborhoods such as Meadow Woods, Lake Nona and Hunters Creek together. Commissioner Victoria Wilson (Orange County Commission) described local history and urged attention to preserving cores and community identities, noting some historic neighborhoods and recent community redevelopment efforts.

Several members of the committee voiced support for advancing Affant’s map as a workable starting point while flagging concerns. Member Rishi Baga said he would vote to advance the map but worried it keeps East Orlando communities dispersed; member Gordon (last name given on the record) objected that the plan fragments the City of Orlando and could dilute that city's voting strength. Other members praised elements of the plan—several singled out that District 6 was largely left intact and that many municipalities remained whole—but said they intended to tweak maps before final adoption. Supervisor of Elections Karen Castro Dental told the committee her office would help by using precinct lines already in the system and noted the operational costs of splitting precincts and producing different ballots.

Committee member Tom Callan moved to approve advancement of the map; the motion was seconded by member Alejandro (as recorded by the clerk). After a roll call, the clerk announced the motion “passes 10 to 3.”

The committee’s calendar and staff updates included deadlines and templates: one map (SPEARS 3) was under legal review and posted on the public site; consultant-provided template maps from ARC Bridal Consulting were being posted as starting points; and staff noted map submission windows through July (next internal deadlines called out in the meeting included May 30, June 12 and July 3). The committee’s next meeting was set for June 5 at 6 p.m. in the chambers.

The committee chair and cochairs urged members and the public to treat any advanced map as a starting point that others may copy and modify for submission; multiple members said they expected additional edits and new sponsored maps ahead of the July cutoffs. The meeting closed after the vote and brief general comments.