Orange County redistricting meeting draws lengthy public comment urging communities be kept intact

Orange County residents packed a public hearing April 2 of the county's Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee to urge the panel not to split long-standing neighborhoods as it redraws county commission districts from six to eight.

Speakers at the meeting in District 2 said communities such as Lockhart, Pine Hills, Rosemont, Eatonville and parts of Apopka should remain whole, and asked the committee to consider municipal boundaries, high-school attendance zones and the workload of commissioners when drawing new lines.

The comments came during a public-comment period that lasted nearly two hours and featured more than three dozen speakers, including elected officials who attended to listen and offer context. "We are here to learn from you," County Commissioner Myra Uribe told the committee at the start of the public-comment segment. "When this board brings their recommendations, we are the ones that are going to confirm, adjust, move around, but hopefully get the most concrete and proper districts going forward." (Commissioner Myra Uribe, County Commissioner, District 3)

Why it matters: The committee's work will produce recommended maps that the full Board of County Commissioners will review. Residents warned that splitting compact neighborhoods could disrupt local organizing efforts, school relationships and ongoing projects such as corridor beautification…