Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he will convene a special legislative session dedicated to redrawing the state’s congressional maps, a move likely to strengthen the GOP’s position in the crucial swing state ahead of the November elections.

“Today, I announced that I will be convening a Special Session of the Legislature focused on redistricting to ensure that Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of our state,” DeSantis wrote on social media. “Every Florida resident deserves to be represented fairly and constitutionally.”

The special session will take place in April, after the conclusion of Florida’s regular legislative session. DeSantis indicated this timing would allow lawmakers to “first focus on the pressing issues facing Floridians before devoting its full attention to congressional redistricting.”

This redistricting effort marks DeSantis’ latest move to reshape Florida’s political landscape. In 2022, the governor took unprecedented control of the redistricting process, rejecting maps drawn by the Republican-led legislature in favor of his own plan that eliminated two districts represented by Black Democrats and created four additional GOP-leaning districts.

The previous DeSantis-backed map helped Republicans gain a 20-8 advantage in Florida’s congressional delegation, contributing significantly to the GOP’s narrow House majority. However, portions of those maps were later struck down by a state judge who ruled they violated Florida’s constitution by diminishing Black voters’ ability to elect representatives of their choice.

Political analysts suggest this new redistricting push could further consolidate Republican power in Florida, a state that has shifted from traditional swing state status toward becoming a Republican stronghold in recent years. The timing is particularly significant as it comes during an election year when control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Democrats and voting rights advocates have already expressed concerns about the announcement. They argue that further redistricting could disproportionately impact minority communities and potentially violate the Fair Districts amendments to Florida’s constitution, which prohibit drawing districts to favor one political party or diminish minority voting strength.

Florida’s growing population and changing demographics make it a critical battleground for congressional representation. The state gained an additional congressional seat after the 2020 Census, bringing its total to 28 and increasing its Electoral College votes to 30.

The redistricting process is particularly consequential in Florida because the state has no independent redistricting commission. Instead, maps are drawn by the legislature and approved by the governor, giving the party in power significant control over the process.

Legal challenges to any new maps are almost certain, as courts have repeatedly intervened in Florida’s redistricting processes over the past decade. In 2015, the Florida Supreme Court threw out the legislature’s congressional map for violating anti-gerrymandering provisions in the state constitution.

Political scientists note that this redistricting effort could have national implications for the 2024 election cycle. With Republicans holding just a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, even small changes to congressional districts in Florida could help determine which party controls Congress after November.

As this story develops, both parties will be closely watching how aggressive the DeSantis administration and the Republican-controlled legislature will be in redrawing district boundaries, and how courts might respond to inevitable legal challenges.