New maps would mean change of US reps for most Polk voters: What you need to know

Gary White, The Ledger
·8 min read
A close view of the boundaries of four congressional districts that divide Polk County.
A close view of the boundaries of four congressional districts that divide Polk County.

Florida was among the final states in the country to settle congressional districts for this year’s elections.

And those districts might not be settled after all. State Judge J. Layne Smith on Wednesday declared that the map passed by the Florida Legislature and approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis violates state guidelines.

The judge called for a revision of districts before the fall elections, though the state will appeal his ruling and it could be stayed or overruled by a higher court.

Get a closer look: View the state's interactive map of congressional districts

Amid the ongoing uncertainty, a slate of candidates have filed to run in the revised districts that emerged from the once-a-decade redistricting process. If those boundaries hold true, most Polk County residents will see a change of congressional representatives this year.

Polk County has been divided among three congressional districts since the last round of court-ordered reapportionment in 2016: District 9, now held by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee; District 15, occupied by Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland; and District 17, held by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota.

The new map, produced by DeSantis’ office and endorsed by the Legislature, splits the county among four districts: 9, 11, 15, and 18.

Steube will no longer have a presence in Polk County, and District 9 will cover a much smaller section of the county. Meanwhile, an open election in the new District 15 means voters in much of Lakeland will choose a new representative.

Previously: DeSantis' latest congressional map divides Polk County into 4 districts

The most notable shift occurs in northern Polk, which is currently included in District 15. Under the new boundaries, most of the county north of Interstate 4 will now be contained in District 11.

The district’s southern border omits areas south of Marcum Road and Old Polk City Road, which are included in District 18. Farther east, District 18 extends north of I-4 in a small segment near Polk City.

The current District 15 encompasses northern Polk County, including most of Lakeland, along with eastern Hillsborough County and southern Lake County. Under the new map, District 15 covers Polk County west of U.S. 98 and South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, zigzagging southwest beginning at Alamo Drive.

The district’s southern boundary runs along Shepherd Road before cutting south to SR 60, just west of the Willow Oak area.

The majority of the district is in Hillsborough County, including part of Brandon, the University of South Florida and the New Tampa area. It also extends north into Pasco County, taking in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills but ending south of Dade City.

An overview of the congressional districts that divide Polk County - districts 9, 11, 15 and 18. Much of Polk County, including nearly half of Lakeland, will share a representative with Immokalee in South Florida if the districts survive judicial review.
An overview of the congressional districts that divide Polk County - districts 9, 11, 15 and 18. Much of Polk County, including nearly half of Lakeland, will share a representative with Immokalee in South Florida if the districts survive judicial review.

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District 18

The current District 18 covers northern Palm Beach County and Martin and St. Lucie counties. Incumbent Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce, is running in the newly designed District 21.

Among the four new districts that include Polk County, District 18 covers by far the largest section. From its northern boundary along I-4 and jutting north of the highway in a few places, the district extends east to the Osceola County line, with small exceptions in the Four Corners and Poinciana areas.

District 18 also encompasses Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties and a sliver of Collier County. Much of the district takes over areas now represented by Steube.

District 18 groups half of Lakeland and the vast majority of Polk's geographic area with counties such as Collier and Hendry -- south of Lake Okeechobee.
District 18 groups half of Lakeland and the vast majority of Polk's geographic area with counties such as Collier and Hendry -- south of Lake Okeechobee.

Franklin, the incumbent in District 15, has filed to run in District 18. The first-term House member, a former Lakeland city commissioner, has reported $463,000 in campaign contributions and holds nearly $420,000 in available cash, though his campaign also carries $422,000 in debt.

Six other candidates had filed to run in District 18 as of Tuesday, including Republicans Leonard Serratore of West Palm Beach; George Shepherd of Lake Wales, Wendy Schmeling of Davenport and Eddie Tarazona of Mulberry.

The field also includes Corinna Balderramos Robinson of Port St. Lucie, a Democrat, and Aaron Hamstead of Tallahassee, whose party is listed as Independent Conservative Democratic.

Other than Franklin, no candidate has reported more than $25,000 in campaign contributions.

Primary elections will take place Aug. 23.

FiveThirtyEight, a website devoted to political analysis, rates District 18 with a “partisan lean” of 29 points in favor of Republicans, based on voter registration and historical results.

District 11

The current District 11 covers Hernando and Citrus counties, stretching east to the Ocala National Forest and Lake Apopka to encompass much of The Villages, a sprawling network of senior communities. It borders the current District 15 north of Groveland and Clermont in Lake County.

U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, has been in Congress since 2011 and is seeking a fourth term in District 11. Webster previously represented northern Polk County when he served in District 10 from 2013 to 2017.

District 9 includes a wide swath of northern Polk County north of I-4.
District 9 includes a wide swath of northern Polk County north of I-4.

Five other Republican candidates have filed to run in District 11, along with one non-partisan candidate. The challengers include Laura Loomer, a Republican who ran in a heavily Democratic district in South Florida in 2020, badly losing to incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach.

Loomer, who describes herself as an investigative journalist, has attracted notoriety since working for Project Veritas, a conservative group known for making secret recordings intended to embarrass Democrats and liberal groups. Loomer has been banned from social media platforms for violating guidelines on misinformation.

Webster has reported $415,000 in campaign contributions for the election cycle and carries $326,000 in campaign cash. Loomer, who filed to run in September, has received just over $500,000 in contributions and has nearly $141,000 in campaign cash.

Loomer lived in Lake Worth during her previous run for Congress. She told The Ledger that she has lived in Lake County, within the District 11 boundaries, since September.

The other candidates in the District 11 race who have reported campaign contributions are Republicans Jeannette Skinner of Wildwood, Lateresa Ann Jones of Lake Park in Palm Beach County and Gavriel Soriano of Bushnell. None has received more than $15,000 in donations.

FiveThirtyEight ranks District 11 with 19-point advantage for Republicans.

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District 15

Franklin’s decision to run in District 18 rather than remaining in his numbered district means an open election for a crucial area along the Interstate 4 corridor.

Lakeland resident Dennis Ross spent eight years in the U.S. House before opting not to seek re-election in 2018. Ross, a Republican who once ranked as a senior deputy minority House whip, is seeking a return to Congress as a candidate in District 15.

Ross previously served in two districts that included Lakeland. Ross noted in a news release that the newly drawn sector contains nearly 75% of the district in which he previously served.

Ross has reported about $73,000 in campaign donations, all of it coming in the final half of March.

District 15 takes the western half of Lakeland and groups with with large swaths of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.
District 15 takes the western half of Lakeland and groups with with large swaths of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Four other Republican candidates have entered the District 15 race so far.

Jay Collins of Lutz initially filed to run in District 14 but shifted to District 15 in May. Collins has reported about $769,000 in campaign contributions, the highest figure for any candidate in the race, and carries $338,000 in available cash.

Collins served in the U.S. Army Special Forces as a Green Beret, according to his campaign website, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq. While in Afghanistan in 2007, he sustained a battle injury that led to the amputation of part of his left leg.

Three other candidates have reported collecting at least $175,000 in contributions. Two are Republicans: Florida Rep. Jackie Toledo of Tampa ($353,000) and Demetries Grimes ($178,000), who lists a campaign address in Winter Haven.

The leading Democrat, Eddie Geller of Brandon, has collected $284,000 in campaign contributions.

The remaining candidates who have reported receipts of less than $25,000 are Jennifer Raybon of Clermont, a Republican, and Democrats Jesse Philippe of Riverview and Bill Vanhorn of New Port Richey.

FiveThirtyEight gives Republicans a seven-point edge in District 15, making it one of only two Republican-leaning districts in Florida where the advantage is under 10 points.

District 9

Soto has represented eastern Polk County in the U.S. House since 2017 and is seeking a fourth term, though the new congressional map greatly reduces the portion of District 9 covering Polk.

The district, as now configured, extends as far west as the Polk Parkway and contains Auburndale, Haines City, the Four Corners area, Lake Wales and Frostproof. Soto’s district also includes Osceola County and part of Orange County.

The redesigned District 9 covers Osceola County and a segment of Orange County stretching into southern Orlando. The district contains a swath of Polk County east of U.S. 27 and south of U.S. 192, and then north of the Ronald Reagan Parkway.

District 9 includes a sliver of eastern Polk County and groups it with most of Osceola County and parts of Orange.
District 9 includes a sliver of eastern Polk County and groups it with most of Osceola County and parts of Orange.

Campaign cash: Federal Election Commission: Ross trails two rivals in District 15 funds

District 9 includes a slightly larger chunk of Polk County in the Solavita area, including the Stonegate Golf Club.

Soto, the only Democrat representing Polk County in either the Florida Legislature or Congress, has reported campaign contributions of about $708,000 and has $649,000 in campaign cash.

Soto faces eight challengers, including one Democrat. Scotty Moore of Orlando leads the Republican candidates with about $268,000 in campaign contributions.

Other Republican candidates include Bill Olson of Davenport ($148,000), Jose Castillo of Davenport ($61,000), and Daniel Anthony of Orlando ($17,900). A Democrat, Kevin Parker of Kissimmee, has reported about $8,000 in donations.

FiveThirtyEight rates District 9 as leaning Democratic by 16 points.

Steube, who has represented roughly the southern half of Polk County since 2019, is running for re-election in the revised and much smaller District 17. That district will no longer contain any of Polk County.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: If new map survives, most Polk voters would see a change of US reps