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County commissioners want feedback on redistricting

By Nick Blank nick@opcfla.com
Posted 11/3/21

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Following the 2020 U.S. census where Clay County counted an additional 27,000 people from 2010, the Board of County Commissioners have to approve redrawn voting …

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County commissioners want feedback on redistricting


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Following the 2020 U.S. census where Clay County counted an additional 27,000 people from 2010, the Board of County Commissioners have to approve redrawn voting districts.

The county approved a map, dubbed “5b,” which mirrors a Clay County School District map that is currently being considered. There was initially a map, “3a,” which followed the BCC’s current voting map. The BCC version was approved at the Oct. 26 meeting.

State law requires each district to be as equal in population as possible. Commission boundaries must be redrawn in an odd-numbered year.

“We feel that these are the best maps we can put forth,” Assistant County Manager Troy Nagle said.

Nagle said county staff will take two weeks’ worth of comments to the Nov. 9 regular meeting where commissioners can adopt it. The county can read the legal description of the map at the commissioners’ Nov. 23 meeting and finalize it. The deadline is Dec. 31.

County Manager Howard Wanamaker said it would be worthwhile for the public and the board to know how much work went into the maps by Nagle and county staff. Wanamaker said the county had discussions with the school district.

“This is very complicated and I think other entities in the county have weighed in,” Wanamaker said.

Commissioner Jim Renninger said he’d welcome other ideas for redistricting, but the requirements are strict.

“It has to be in compliance with regulations,” Renninger said.

Chairman Mike Cella added that the county has been eyeing having a similar voting district to the school district.

“That’s the only map they’re going to show,” Cella said. “If we show the same map, that gets us one step closer to getting consolidated districts, which is what we started out to try to do.”

Commissioner Betsy Condon wanted the BCC to form a consensus for “5b,” which commissioners did. She said the school district may receive public comment this week and the organization wasn’t slowing down its process.

“I think getting contiguous districts is important for not getting accused of gerrymandering and those kinds of things,” Condon said. District 1 will now have the entirety of Fleming Island instead of District 3 having an eastern portion. The largest change from the current map is moving Green Cove Springs to District 5, away from District 1. District 5 is in the center of the county and contains Lake Asbury and its commissioner is Kristen Burke.

“I like Green Cove so I’m OK with it,” Burke said.

“There are nice folks there,” Cella, the District 1 commissioner, said.

More information is available at claycountygov.com/government/redistricting.