Placement: Unfinished Business
Action Requested: Discussion
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City Council Consensus of Proposed Redistricting Map.
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Submitted By: James D. Stokes, City Attorney
Executive Summary: With the completion of the decennial U.S. Census, the City of Port St. Lucie is required to review and adjust, if necessary, the City Council District Map. Council is requested to provide consensus as to the proposed Revised Redistricting Map, in order to allow staff to proceed with a Survey of the Districts and to bring this item back to the Council for approval by Ordinance.
Presentation Information: Staff and Legal are available for questions as needed.
Staff Recommendation: Request Council to provide consensus on the proposed Revised District Map so that this item can move forward as an Ordinance.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council discuss further revisions to the map with directions to staff.
2. Move that the Council provide further direction to staff.
Background: The City’s Districting Commission (established by Charter) made a recommendation to the City Council on December 6, 2021, and the Council requested staff to look at four areas of concern: (1) Not splitting the Torino neighborhood between Districts; (2) Not splitting District 1 by the Turnpike north of Port St. Lucie Boulevard; (3) Squaring off District 1 at the intersection of Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Floresta; and (4) Address the anomaly of including the single street of S.E. Forgal Street north of S.E. Carnival Avenue in District 4 when the remainder of that neighborhood is in District 1. It was discussed that everything east of Floresta should be in District 4.
Issues/Analysis: Keeping with the legal parameters that Districts should be separated by arterials or natural boundaries, and that the Districts should be roughly proportional in population, the attached Revised Redistricting map is proposed to Council for consideration. While District 2 and District 3 are slightly lower in population, it is worth noting that: (1) the deviation is within a lawfully supportable range; and (2) District 2 and District 3 are the City’s fastest growing areas and the population will quickly overcome the other Districts. This District Map needs to be approved by Ordinance 90 days before the next election; however, staff is proposing to bring the Ordinance at the two meetings in March so that it will be fully approved by March 28, 2022.
Special Consideration: N/A
Location of Project: N/A
Attachments:
(1) Revised Redistricting Map
(2) Original Memo, Districting Commission
(3) Original Map w/areas of concern
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:
Reviewed by James D. Stokes, City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney.