Florida Senate - 2015 SJR 2-C
By Senator Galvano
26-00005-15C 20152C__
1 Senate Joint Resolution
2 A joint resolution of apportionment; providing
3 definitions; apportioning the senatorial districts of
4 the state in accordance with the United States
5 Decennial Census of 2010 (plan ____); providing for
6 the inclusion of omitted areas; providing contiguity
7 for areas specified for inclusion in one senatorial
8 district which are noncontiguous; specifying that the
9 apportioned districts constitute the senatorial
10 districts of the state; providing for severability of
11 invalid portions; providing for application beginning
12 in 2016.
13
14 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Official census for apportionment; definitions.—
17 (1) In accordance with s. 8(a), Art. X of the State
18 Constitution, the United States Decennial Census of 2010 is the
19 official census of the state for the purposes of this joint
20 resolution.
21 (2) The following delineation of senatorial districts
22 employs areas included within official county, voting tabulation
23 district, tract, and block boundary descriptions used by the
24 United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, in
25 compiling the United States Decennial Census of 2010 in this
26 state. The populations within these census geographic units are
27 the population figures reported in the counts of the United
28 States Decennial Census of 2010 provided to the state in
29 accordance with Pub. L. No. 94-171.
30 (3) As used in this joint resolution, the term:
31 (a) “Block” describes the smallest geographic unit for
32 which population was tabulated in the 2010 decennial census.
33 Blocks are nested within tracts and within voting tabulation
34 districts. A block is identified by a four-digit integer that is
35 unique within a tract but is not necessarily unique within a
36 voting tabulation district.
37 (b) “Tract” describes a relatively permanent statistical
38 subdivision of a county updated by local participants prior to
39 the 2010 decennial census. Tracts consist of whole blocks and
40 are nested within counties. Tracts are identified uniquely
41 within a county by an up to four-digit integer and may have an
42 optional two-digit suffix.
43 (c) “Voting tabulation district” describes a subdivision of
44 a county established in Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting
45 Data Program. Voting tabulation districts consist of whole
46 blocks and are nested within counties. Voting tabulation
47 districts subdivide counties in ways supervisors of elections
48 determined are efficient for conducting elections and keeping
49 communities whole. Voting tabulation districts are identified
50 uniquely within a county by an up to four-digit integer.
51 Section 2. Senatorial districts.—For the election of
52 members to the Senate of this state, the state is apportioned
53 into 40 consecutively numbered, single-member senatorial
54 districts of contiguous territory, to be designated by such
55 numbers as follows:
56
57 Section 3. Territory not specified for inclusion in any
58 senatorial district.—Any portion of the state which is not
59 stated in this joint resolution as being included in any
60 senatorial district described in this joint resolution but which
61 is entirely surrounded by a district shall be deemed to be
62 included within the surrounding district. Any portion of the
63 state which is not included in any senatorial district described
64 in this joint resolution and which is not entirely surrounded by
65 a district shall be included within that district contiguous to
66 the portion that contains the least population per legislator
67 according to the United States Decennial Census of 2010;
68 however, if every district contiguous to such portion has an
69 equal population, such portion shall be included within the
70 lowest-numbered district that is contiguous to such portion.
71 Section 4. Territory specified for inclusion in one
72 senatorial district which is noncontiguous.—If any senatorial
73 district described in this joint resolution is composed of
74 noncontiguous territory, the noncontiguous portion that has the
75 least population shall be included in the district that is
76 contiguous to such portion and that has the least population;
77 however, if every district contiguous to such portion has an
78 equal population, such portion shall be included within the
79 lowest-numbered district that is contiguous to such portion.
80 Section 5. Districts to constitute senatorial districts of
81 state.—The senatorial districts created by this joint resolution
82 constitute and form the senatorial districts of the state, and
83 members of the Legislature shall be elected in and for these
84 senatorial districts as provided by law.
85 Section 6. If any provision of this joint resolution or the
86 application thereof to any person or circumstance is held
87 invalid, or if any senatorial district established in this joint
88 resolution is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other
89 provisions or applications of this joint resolution, or any
90 other districts established in this joint resolution, which can
91 be given effect without the invalid provision or application,
92 and to this end the provisions of this joint resolution are
93 severable.
94 Section 7. This joint resolution applies with respect to
95 the qualification, nomination, and election of members of the
96 Senate in the primary and general elections held in 2016 and
97 thereafter.