Bill Text: FL S1628 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Joint Resolution of Apportionment
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2012-03-09 - Died in Reapportionment, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/SJR 1176 (Passed) [S1628 Detail]
Download: Florida-2012-S1628-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2012 SJR 1628
By Senator Gaetz
4-01604-12 20121628__
1 Senate Joint Resolution
2 A joint resolution of apportionment; providing for the
3 apportionment of the House of Representatives and the
4 Senate (plans _______ and _______); adopting the
5 United States Decennial Census of 2010 for use in such
6 apportionment; providing for the inclusion of omitted
7 areas; providing contiguity for areas specified for
8 inclusion in one district which are noncontiguous;
9 specifying that the apportioned districts constitute
10 the legislative districts of the state; providing for
11 severability of invalid portions; providing for
12 application beginning in 2012.
13
14 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Official census for apportionment; definitions.—
17 (1) In accordance with Section 8(a), Article X of the State
18 Constitution, the United States Decennial Census of 2010 is the
19 official census of the state for the purposes of this joint
20 resolution.
21 (2) The following delineation of representative and
22 senatorial districts employs areas included within official
23 county, voting tabulation district, tract, and block boundary
24 descriptions used by the United States Department of Commerce,
25 Bureau of the Census, in compiling the United States Decennial
26 Census of 2010 in this state. The populations within these
27 census geographic units are the population figures reported in
28 the counts of the United States Decennial Census of 2010
29 provided to the state in accordance with Pub. L. No. 94-171.
30 (3) As used in this joint resolution, the term:
31 (a) “Block” describes the smallest geographic unit for
32 which population was tabulated in the 2010 decennial census.
33 Blocks are nested within tracts and within voting tabulation
34 districts. A block is identified by a four-digit integer that is
35 unique within a tract but is not necessarily unique within a
36 voting tabulation district.
37 (b) “Tract” describes a relatively permanent statistical
38 subdivision of a county updated by local participants prior to
39 the 2010 decennial census. Tracts consist of whole blocks and
40 are nested within counties. Tracts are identified uniquely
41 within a county by an up to four-digit integer and may have an
42 optional two-digit suffix.
43 (c) “Voting tabulation district” describes a subdivision of
44 a county established in Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting
45 Data Program. Voting tabulation districts consist of whole
46 blocks and are nested within counties. Voting tabulation
47 districts subdivide counties in ways supervisors of elections
48 determined are efficient for conducting elections and keeping
49 communities whole. Voting tabulation districts are identified
50 uniquely within a county by an up to four-digit integer.
51 Section 2. Representative districts.—For the election of
52 members to the House of Representatives of this state, the state
53 is apportioned into 120 consecutively numbered, single-member,
54 representative districts of contiguous territory, to be
55 designated by such numbers as follows:
56
57 Section 3. Senatorial districts.—For the election of
58 members to the Senate of this state, the state is apportioned
59 into 40 consecutively numbered, single-member senatorial
60 districts of contiguous territory, to be designated by such
61 numbers as follows:
62
63 Section 4. Territory not specified for inclusion in any
64 district.—Any portion of the state which is not stated in this
65 joint resolution as being included in any district described in
66 this joint resolution but which is entirely surrounded by a
67 district shall be deemed to be included within the surrounding
68 district. Any portion of the state which is not included in any
69 district described in this joint resolution and which is not
70 entirely surrounded by a district shall be included within that
71 district contiguous to the portion that contains the least
72 population per legislator according to the United States
73 Decennial Census of 2010; however, if every district contiguous
74 to such portion has an equal population, such portion shall be
75 included within the lowest-numbered district that is contiguous
76 to such portion.
77 Section 5. Territory specified for inclusion in one
78 district which is noncontiguous.—If any district described in
79 this joint resolution is composed of noncontiguous territory,
80 the noncontiguous portion that has the least population shall be
81 included in the district that is contiguous to such portion and
82 that has the least population; however, if every district
83 contiguous to such portion has an equal population, such portion
84 shall be included within the lowest-numbered district that is
85 contiguous to such portion.
86 Section 6. Districts to constitute representative and
87 senatorial districts of state.—The districts created by this
88 joint resolution constitute and form the representative and
89 senatorial districts of the state, and members of the
90 Legislature shall be elected in and for these representative and
91 senatorial districts as provided by law.
92 Section 7. Severability.—If any provision of this joint
93 resolution or the application thereof to any person or
94 circumstance is held invalid, or if any representative or
95 senatorial district established in this joint resolution is held
96 invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or
97 applications of this joint resolution, or any other districts
98 established in this joint resolution, which can be given effect
99 without the invalid provision or application, and to this end
100 the provisions of this joint resolution are severable.
101 Section 8. Applicability.—This joint resolution applies
102 with respect to the qualification, nomination, and election of
103 members of the Legislature in the primary and general elections
104 held in 2012 and thereafter.
