Central Florida
Florida region anchoring Darren Soto's congressional district, targeted in DeSantis's 24R-4D map.
Last refreshed: 28 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is Central Florida's Puerto Rican community at stake in the redistricting fight?
Timeline for Central Florida
DeSantis submits 24R-4D Florida map; session opens
US Midterms 2026- Why is Central Florida important in the 2026 redistricting fight?
- Central Florida's rapidly growing Puerto Rican community has transformed the I-4 corridor into a Democratic-leaning area. DeSantis's 24R-4D map would redraw District 9 to dilute that base, threatening Rep. Darren Soto's seat.Source: DeSantis map submission, 27 April 2026
- How has Central Florida's population changed politically?
- Central Florida was a Republican-leaning swing area in the 1990s. Post-2000 Puerto Rican migration, accelerated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, shifted the Kissimmee and Osceola areas toward Democrats, creating one of the fastest political demographic shifts in the US.
Background
Central Florida is the I-4 corridor region anchoring Florida's 9th Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Darren Soto. The region covers the Kissimmee, Osceola County, and Orange County areas, and has one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the continental United States — a demographic shift that transformed Central Florida from a Republican stronghold in the 1990s to a competitive and increasingly Democratic-leaning area by the 2010s.
Governor DeSantis's 24R-4D congressional map proposal, submitted to the Florida Legislature on 27 April 2026, targets Central Florida's congressional configuration in a bid to redraw Soto's district and reduce Democratic representation across the I-4 corridor. The I-4 corridor has long been considered Florida's swing region — it was decisive in multiple statewide races in the 2010s and early 2020s.
The Puerto Rican community's rapid growth in Central Florida, particularly since Hurricane Maria in 2017, has made it one of the fastest-changing political regions in the United States, giving redistricting battles here an outsized national significance for Hispanic electoral representation.