Florida's new congressional map is shaking up the competition across the state this campaign season.
The map leaves districts 1-7 unchanged, but others are significantly altered. News Service of Florida reported it reworked 21 out of Florida's 28 U.S. House districts. It also creates four more Republican-leaning districts.
The deadline for candidates to file paperwork to appear on the ballot ended last Friday at noon. The Florida Supreme Court also declined an emergency request last week to block the newly drawn map. WUSF's Douglas Soule reported the case has to first be heard by a lower court, which already declined to fast-track it.
This means the new districts will be in place for the midterm elections later this year. The primary is on Aug. 18, and the general election is on Nov. 3.
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But amid the political shuffle changing boundaries, some candidates are facing new challengers, while voters are facing new choices.
On "The Florida Roundup," we checked in with Florida Public Radio reporters across the state for a better sense of the political landscape.
Here's a breakdown.
Tampa Bay
In the Tampa Bay region, the maps have been scrambled. WUSF reporter Steve Newborn said it has people wondering who their congressperson even is.
"I mean myself and my own house, I've had three representatives in the past five years," he told host Tom Hudson. "Now I'm represented by somebody I never even had a chance to vote on. So you have to wonder if people know who they're going to vote for."
He said the biggest change in the area involved District 14. Democrat Kathy Castor is the current representative for the area.
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"She's been around for 20 years, but her blue district, which included most of Tampa, has now been shifted to the south and east in rural Hillsborough County," Newborn explained. "So this is an area that President Trump would have won by about 10% in the last election, so the big question here is: Will her name recognition be enough to carry her to another term?"
Newborn said the National Republican Congressional Committee has targeted this as a district it can flip. A big name for competition past the primaries is former state Rep. Kevin Steele. The Republican has the backing of all three of Florida's elected cabinet officials, but he still has to win against other party candidates.
Central Florida
According to News Service of Florida, District 9 was originally Osceola County and parts of Orange and Polk counties.
However, it now stretches from the south Orlando area and includes parts of Orange, Polk and Osceola counties. It also includes Indian River, Okeechobee, Highlands and Glades counties.
It's held by Congressman Darren Soto (D-Kissimmee). Central Florida Public Media reporter Sam Stockbridge said the changes could give Republicans a bit of an advantage during the election, and the counties included are more rural.
"That is going to pose some challenges for him as he has to work with constituents in four new counties that were not previously under his boundaries," Stockbridge said.
There were also minor changes to District 10, where Democrat Maxwell Frost represents. But Stockbridge said those alterations aren't expected to affect his ability to win re-election.
"Now, conveniently for voters, those two districts are keeping the same numbering scheme as they were under the previous map, and that's actually the case for most of them up here, so at least that's one concession is that you won't have to relearn new numbers," Stockbridge said.
South Florida
District 20, a historically Black district, has been redrawn.
WLRN reporter Daniel Rivero said the district was originally drawn in 1992 to be, in many ways, a Black majority district. So it stretched from the northern part of Miami-Dade County up through mostly Black areas of Broward County and into Palm Beach County.
ALSO READ: Black Caucus leader: Broward's 20th U.S. House district must be protected amid redistricting squeeze
It's been held by a Black Congressional Democrat since 1992, he said.
"The lines have been shifted in a way, it's not majority Black anymore, but it's plurality Black," Rivero told Hudson. "It's like 48% Black and with Hispanics, there's still minority majority."
He added that Democrats are still favored in the district. However, some Black Democratic leaning parts of the district have been redrawn into other seats.
Quite a few candidates are running, including Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. She was once the representative for this district but resigned earlier this year as she's facing federal charges for money laundering.
But the biggest point of contention in this race is Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston. She is currently District 25's representative, but those boundaries have shifted to be more Republican-leaning, and she doesn't live within the confines anymore.
Since District 20 is historically Black, community members and other politicians have been upset with Wasserman Schultz's decision to switch districts. They worry the Black community won't have proper representation.
WLRN previously reported how 10 out of 15 elected members of the Florida Democratic National Committe condemned her decision.
"Ever since 1992, Florida has had three or more Black members of Congress. If Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins the nomination for the Democrats, that number will probably go down to two, which there's never been that few Black elected officials at the federal level in Florida going back to Reconstruction."
On the other hand, District 24 is thought to be "generally safe" for Black democrats. Although its representative, Frederica Wilson, is retiring after decades of service.
"It's the only existing Black majority district in Florida at this point," Rivero added.
It did shift north and took more of Broward County, including a bit of Hollywood and stretches down to Miami-Dade County, according to the News Service of Florida.
You can find a full list of candidates running for U.S. representatives in each district on the Florida Department of Elections' website.
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Tom Hudson for "The Florida Roundup."
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