Florida redistricting map would split Tampa into 3 districts

TAMPA, Fla. - The new congressional map approved by the Florida House and Senate will greatly impact voters in the Bay Area if it survives a legal challenge.

The district currently represented by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa), which runs through Tampa and St. Petersburg, will be broken up into five different districts, all with a majority of voters who supported Donald Trump in 2024.

Tampa split into three districts

The effort to cram exactly 769,221 people into 28 congressional districts led the governor's office to draw three districts to converge in Ybor City and two to converge in St. Pete.

"It's a beautiful, compact map," said Gov. Ron DeSantis during a press conference on Thursday. "(It's a) very nice map."

Tampa is now split into three districts, with jagged edges throughout. 

West of Amenia Avenue and west into Town n' Country would belong to Castor, should she win reelection. 

But at Armenia Avenue, just north of Kennedy Boulevard, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis would take over from 15th Street in Ybor City, should he win reelection.

U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee's district would start there, but only go north of Adamo Drive, and stretch south and east to Progress Village near Riverview. 

That's where Castor's district would pick back up. 

The district would go all the way to the Manatee County line, which is currently U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan's district. 

What they're saying:

"Here in Florida," said Castor, "you're not allowed to draw congressional maps to favor an incumbent or a political party. You have to respect communities."

The Lee district would go from Ybor City, past Weeki Wachee, and north to the Citrus and Marion County line.

"There are going to be some people who show up to vote in the primary or in the general election," said Kyle Kondik of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "And they're going to see some names and be like, wait a second, what happened to the names I was used to voting on?"

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Florida lawmakers approve DeSantis-backed redistricting map that could redraw Bay Area's political future

St. Pete redistricting plan

In St. Pete, instead of Castor having almost everything east of US-19 and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna having everything west, Luna would get the top half of the city, again with jagged edges throughout. 

The residents south of 22nd Avenue North, would be represented by the retiring Vern Buchanan's district.

Thus, the person representing Madeira Beach and South St. Pete, would also represent DeSoto County.

"The poorest neighborhoods in St. Petersburg that have already struggled to be heard," said State Sen. Darryl Rouson, "will find themselves in a district contorted in such an unnatural way that they seem more like an addendum."

What's next:

Further complicating the Bay Area's dance is that Castor, who has represented the area since 2007, almost exclusively in Tampa, St. Petersburg and the closest suburbs, would be drawn into a district that has been stripped of a good portion of her voters, seeing her district go from eight points in the Democratic direction - based on 2024 voting patterns - to 11 points in the Republican direction. 

"I love my hometown, and they have sent me back every year that I've run," said Castor. "I'm very fortunate to have support all across the political spectrum because I solve problems. I focus on what's important to them."

Democrats expect the electorate to be tilted more in their direction in the 2026 election, with President Trump's approval rating in the mid-30s.             

Castor outperformed Harris by nearly 10 points in 2024, so Democrats are expected to fight hard for her to stay in Congress and buck the new Republican-friendly maps.