Miami redistricting would dilute Black Grove’s political power. No surprise there
Coconut Grove isn’t just Miami’s charming and oldest neighborhood. Its residents are among the most politically engaged in the city — and often a thorn on the side of some politicians.
The community, which was first settled by Bahamian pioneers more than a century ago and predates the city’s incorporation, is under threat of having its political influence diluted. At even higher risk is the political strength of the Grove’s historic Black community at a time when it’s fighting gentrification.
And the threat is coming from elected officials who should protect the area.
The City Commission is on the verge of approving new boundaries for its five electoral districts, which must be redrawn every 10 years when U.S. Census numbers come out. The new map would split the historic neighborhood into three districts, with some Black residents ending up in a mostly Hispanic district. That would be a big blow for a community that, through civic engagement, has seen success in maintaining its historic character and green areas.
Some commissioners have tried to spin this change as a good thing for the Grove, saying that being in three districts instead of one gives the Grove more power, not less.
But they know better.
BLACK VOICE UNDERMINED
Florida has a sorry tradition of weakening Black power at the polls. Suppression efforts began after the Civil War and continue to this day. And Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing to wipe a majority-Black congressional district off the map.
Imagine having to go to three commissioners with different philosophies for help with neighborhood issues. Or hold three meetings each time you need to talk to your representatives.
All of the Grove currently sits in District 2, represented by Commissioner Ken Russell. The commission last Friday gave preliminary approval to a map that would slice off portions, with one piece in District 4, represented by Manolo Reyes, and another in District 3, represented by Joe Carollo.
Carollo stands to benefit the most from the new maps.
He moved out of his longtime home on Morris Lane in the Grove and into a West Brickell apartment to fulfill residency requirements to run in District 3 — which includes West Brickell — in 2017. After the election, his opponent filed a lawsuit alleging he didn’t actually live in his new apartment, but a judge ruled in Carollo’s favor.
Now, under the new boundaries, District 3 juts out to cover Carollo’s house. We don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Grove residents have mobilized, gathering more than 1,800 online petition signatures and creating a group called One Grove. They are right to be angry that the process has been rushed, with few community meetings, and that the efforts to allow for public participation appear to be all for show, ahead of a final March 11 vote.
But their opposition did push the city’s redistricting consultant, attorney Miguel De Grandy, to reduce the total number of residents who would be moved from District 2 from almost 6,400 to 3,000, and the number of Black residents from nearly 500 to 114. While that’s progress, we wonder what kind of representation those 114 Black residents will get in overwhelmingly Hispanic District 4.
District 2 covers most of Miami’s coastal neighborhoods stretching from Coconut Grove up through Morningside. It has seen the largest population growth in the past decade and, therefore, needs to shed residents so the city’s five districts can be comparable in size and population. But most of that growth occurred in the Brickell and downtown areas, not in the Grove.
TRY THIS, INSTEAD
Russell believes there’s an alternative to the three-way split of the Grove. He proposed a plan that would keep it intact, but slice off other parts of District 2.
“If we don’t have to tear [the Grove] up don’t tear it up,” Russell told the Herald Editorial Board.
Russell said he’s hopeful De Grandy will incorporate his proposal into the final map. De Grandy declined a request for an interview from the Editorial
Board, saying the city has not authorized him to speak to the media.
Here’s another alternative: Miami’s population grew from just under 400,000 in 2010 to more than 442,000 in 2020. Maybe it’s time to create more districts. Tampa (population: 385,000) has seven council members. Atlanta (population: 499,000) has 12.
Russell wanted to ask voters to add new districts but the City Commission shut that down. After all, why would elected officials dilute their own power to give voters better representation? That’s not how it works in Miami politics.
And yet diluting the Grove’s representation doesn’t seem to faze some of them. They cite communities like Shenandoah, which falls in both District 3 and 4. Some say Coconut Grove is seeking special treatment.
“There’s a group of activists from Coconut Grove who don’t want to be part of Miami,” Commissioner Alex Diaz de La Portilla said. But if “activist” is a bad word in his book, we don’t agree. An engaged citizenry is a good thing.
It’s that attitude, though, that makes some residents skeptical that they will prevail.
One Grove attorney, David Winker, predicted to the Herald Editorial Board that the commission is likely to “jam this through.” His group would go to court if that happens, he added.
Before it reaches that point, though, the city should exhaust all its options to keep the Grove intact.