Orange County redistricting committee hears pleas to keep Pine Hills, Horizon West intact and votes to reject two proposed maps

ORLANDO — At a public meeting of the Orange County Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee on April 30, dozens of residents urged the panel to keep established communities of interest together as members considered sponsor-drawn maps. After presentations and a 15-minute discussion period, the committee voted to reject two maps sponsored by Member Spears.

Why it matters: The committee is redrawing county commission districts following the 2020 census and the county charter change that added two seats. The maps the committee approves will shape local representation, influence which communities share a commissioner, and factor in legal obligations including the Voting Rights Act.

Public comment focused on Pine Hills, Horizon West, flooding and local landmarks. Several speakers asked the committee to keep neighborhoods that share problems and institutions in a single district so they have unified representation. “I want to make sure that all of the residents who live along the Rio Pinar Canal are — are all grouped together,” said Cassie Lynch, a third-generation resident who described persistent flooding along the Rio Pinar Canal. Speakers from Pine Hills, including Bernice Jean Baptiste and Alida Jean Baptiste, urged that Pine Hills remain whole. “Pine Hills is an older community … we are crucial contributors to the business development,” Bernice Jean Baptiste told the committee.

Horizon West residents pressed a different request: separate representation to address rapid growth. “We are the fastest expanding part of Orange County,” said Luke Karnikoff, who urged making Horizon West its own commission district to concentrate attention on…