A judge said Miami racially gerrymandered its voters. Here’s the proposed new map

Tess Riski
·2 min read

The city of Miami has reached an agreement with advocacy groups on a new voting map after a federal judge tossed out the city’s current map last month, having ruled that commissioners in 2022 approved unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered district boundaries that sorted city residents by race and ethnicity.

The agreement lands after months of litigation with a coalition of city residents and community groups, including two branches of the NAACP, Grove Rights and Community Equity (GRACE) and multiple individuals who sued the city in late 2022. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Dechert law firm are representing the community groups.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the ACLU said the new map “unifies neighborhoods across the city” that were previously “divided along racial lines,” including Coconut Grove, Overtown, Allapattah and Edgewater.

“Today, we celebrate an expected end to this racial gerrymandering lawsuit, with a new map that prioritizes the people over politicians,” Daniella Pierre, president of the Miami-Dade NAACP branch, said in the press release. “Our new map unites Historic Overtown to District 5 and ensures Black residents have an equal voice in local government, as the Voting Rights Act requires.”

The new map “was drawn to serve communities, rather than dividing the city along racial lines or improperly favoring incumbents or candidates, as in the struck-down maps,” the ACLU wrote.

The City Commission will vote May 9 to authorize the city manager to enter into the settlement agreement, which includes the new map and also stipulates that the city will pay the plaintiffs nearly $1.6 million in attorneys’ fees. The settlement would not require the city to make any “admission of liability.”

The new district boundaries will become effective seven days after the settlement is approved by the court. Commissioners currently serving the city would retain their office through the end of their term regardless of the redrawn district boundaries.

The agreement further stipulates that at the time of the next municipal election in 2025, residents will also vote on a charter change that establishes a “Citizens Redistricting Committee.” According to the ACLU, the charter amendment will also ban “gerrymandering that favors particular candidates and incumbents.”