I’m just a preacher, but I know when something is out of order. And right now, Florida is spending time and taxpayer dollars on a redistricting fight we simply don’t need. There is no new census, no new population data, and no constitutional mandate. Yet energy is being poured into a process that voters already addressed.
Scripture teaches us in 1st Corinthians 14:35, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace”. When a political process becomes rushed, unclear, and confusing, it works against the very order that healthy democracy requires. Confusion is not just inconvenient, it is destabilizing tactic of the adversary.
More than a decade ago while serving as the President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, I spoke to the Florida Senate regarding the need for fairness in political district maps. In 2010 63% of Floridians voted to pass the Fair Districts amendments. Those amendments were designed to stop partisan map‑drawing and protect the integrity of our elections. They weren’t suggestions. They were constitutional instructions therefore, any attempt to redraw districts for political advantage runs directly against what the people demanded which was to prevent partisan map-drawing. That was the people’s voice. Proverbs 22:28 reminds us, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set”. In other words: don’t move boundaries without cause, and don’t undo what the people have already established.
The process unfolding in Tallahassee has been rushed, unclear, and confusing. The map being proposed by DeSantis has revealed no transparent rationale, no evidence of a genuine need and it was done without any drafts being presented to the people. When the process is this disorganized, the public has every right to question the purpose behind it.
Florida doesn’t need more political maneuvering. We don’t need to spend taxpayer dollars on a mid‑decade redistricting effort that lacks both legal grounding and public support. What we do need is leadership that respects the constitution, honors the will of the voters, and focuses on the real issues facing our communities. Legal scholars have noted that while redistricting itself is not automatically unlawful, doing it without a neutral, data-driven reason or doing it to benefit a political party violates the standards Florida voters put in place. Without new census numbers, any new map is guesswork, not stewardship.
Micah 6:8 calls us to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” Justice requires fairness. Humility requires listening to the people. And stewardship requires using time and resources wisely. Florida doesn’t need another political distraction. We need leadership that honors the constitution, respects the voters, and focuses on the real needs of our communities.
I’m just a preacher but I know good stewardship and bad stewardship when I see it, and this is bad, very bad!
It’s All About The Benjamins: By Reverend Dr. Robert M. Spooney
