A coalition of liberal-leaning groups announced they have filed a lawsuit to
block the Legislature's redistricting proposed constitutional amendment, which
was passed in response to the two proposed by a group called Fair Districts
Florida. The basic complaint: The Legislature's amendment masquerades as
something that will help voters, but really helps the party in power, that is it
"flies under false colors" and "hides the ball" from voters. Here's the lawsuit:
Download
RedistrictingSuit. More here on some
of the background. Here's the press release:

Today, the Florida NAACP, Florida League of Women Voters, and Democracia
Ahora filed suit in Tallahassee, seeking the removal of a misleading ballot
amendment, Amendment 7 from the November ballot. This “poison pill” amendment,
placed on the ballot by Tallahassee politicians, is a brazen attempt by those in
power to continue their absolute control of the redistricting process. Amendment
7 parades as an amendment measure to create “standards” for the legislature to
follow when they draw their own district lines and those of congressional
districts. But in reality the legislature’s amendment is an attempt to eliminate
all rules and give the politicians free reign to draw districts that only serve
to protect their own political futures. It is intentionally written to fool
voters about its chief purpose and true effect.

Amendment 7 was passed in direct response to the placement of two
citizen-initiated amendments on the ballot, FairDistricts Amendments 5 and 6.
These two amendments will create real mandatory and enforceable standards for
redistricting at the legislative and congressional level. Amendments 5 and 6
will prohibit the current practice of drawing districts to favor an incumbent or
political party. By placing Amendment 7 on the ballot, a majority of the
legislators proved beyond a reasonable doubt that they want to continue to use
redistricting as their own personal political, incumbent protection plan.

“Amendment 7 is a sham. In placing it on the ballot, the Legislature wants
the people to think it does one thing when it clearly does another. While
FairDistricts Amendments 5 and 6 contain mandatory and enhanced protections for
minority voters, Amendment 7 makes those protections optional. The potential
impact of Amendment 7 on minority voters in the state of Florida is deeply
troubling,” says Adora Obi Nweze, President of the Florida NAACP and plaintiff
in the case. 2

Deirdre Macnab, State President of the Florida League of Women Voters and
a fellow plaintiff says, “These legislators claim that Amendment 7 is needed to
‘clarify’ provisions of the FairDistricts Amendments 5 and 6. But that claim is
deceptive and false. They are just trying to hold on to their power. ”