Florida state Sens. (from left) Eleanor Sobel, Greg Evers and Rene Garcia discuss a congressional redistricting map on the floor of the Senate in 2014.
Credit: Phil Sears/AP

There was an unusual scene at Florida’s Capitol building in Tallahassee this week. To comply with a court order, legislative staffers used a computer program to randomly assign new numbers to Florida’s 40 state Senate districts.

It’s the latest in a series of moves that have reshaped politics in the Sunshine State. The political ground shifted recently when the courts approved new maps for congressional districts and the state Senate. The maps are the result of laws that aim to eliminate gerrymandering: drawing districts to benefit one political party or another.

It is a time-honored political practice, named after 19th century Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry. In recent years, Florida is one of the states where it has been most rampant.

But now, six […]