State senators give vote of confidence to Indian River County redistricting maps
TALLAHASSEE — State senators gave a vote of confidence Tuesday to district proposals for their own 40-seat chamber and Florida's seats in Congress — maps lumping all of Indian River County in one congressional district with Brevard for the next decade, and splitting the county into two state Senate seats largely divided by Interstate 95.
The GOP-heavy Senate approved both maps in separate 34-6 votes, and the majority of Democrats actually favored the plans. Opponents, however, insisted the maps fell short of requirements spelled out in voter-approved fair district amendments, which call for gerrymander-proof district drawing that doesn't favor political parties or incumbents.
Sen. Joe Negron , R-Stuart, said the east-of-95 and west-of-95 split for Treasure Coast Senate seats was in line with what residents wanted during an August redistricting meeting in Stuart. He also commended keeping Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties whole in Congress — St. Lucie and Martin in one seat, Indian River in another to the north.
"From the testimony I heard in Stuart, the takeaway was, 'Let's keep the Treasure Coast together,'" Negron said. "St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties share a lot of common interests, and also northern Palm Beach County has a connection to the Treasure Coast."
Two state senators would still split Indian River County's voter base, while one congressman would represent the entire county in Washington D.C. But a big chunk of the county — almost everything east of I-95, minus most of Sebastian — would shift to a seat that Negron would fill.
The district now filled by Sen. Mike Haridopolos, who has hit his term limit, would give up Indian River voters living between I-95 and the U.S. 1 area to a potential Negron seat.
The Merritt Island Republican's incumbent district also would no longer seep into western St. Lucie County.
A Negron district still would cling to a patch of northern Palm Beach County as far south as Jupiter. But the district would lose most Martin and St. Lucie County voters west of Florida's Turnpike, except for a section that juts out farther in southern Martin.
Florida Turnpike Map - News
By Jonathan Mattise TALLAHASSEE — State senators gave a vote of confidence Tuesday to district proposals for their own 40-seat chamber and Florida's seats in Congress — maps lumping all of Indian River County in one congressional district with
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Driving North and South - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum
I-65 is an option, but Indy, Louisville and Nashville are not much better than Cinci, Lexington and Knoxville. I would probably take 24 from Nashville to Chattanooga and pick up 75 there. Staying on 65 past Nashville puts you too far west, and 231 from Montgomery to I-10 in Marianna will take you through a number of small towns with traffic lights, etc... Not the same route but my wife and I drove a friends car back from St.Louis to Maryland. When it started dumping snow in 14 degree weather I was scared sh!tless. The snow would melt on the treated highway and then refreeze. One instance we were following a tractor trailer up the mountain, he started to slow down to a stop and started sliding backwards. I-77 is a toll road in I think Virginia, cops are terrible on 77 also. I have a son in Indy so we make the trip several times a year. Usually take I-26 to I-40 to I-75, in fall take I-26 to I-77 to I-70 so wife can see the leaves, in the winter if weather looks bad we take I-20 to I-75 to 24 to I-65. Just one big hill on 24 Mont Eagle and it isn' bad even in the snow. As someone who lives in the ATL, I can tell you that the evening/overnight traffic hangups are usually due to construction. The best way to find out about construction projects is to turn on AM-750 as soon as it gets dark. They are a "clear channel" station that gets to broadcast at 50000 watts 24 hours a day...you can hear them halfway across the country. At the top and bottom of the hour they do the news/weather/traffic thing, and they will tell you where overnight construction is scheduled. If it's 75 through town, take 285 around....if it's 75 south of the city (a notoriously slow spot just past the airport) take 285 to 675 and avoid it. If it's real bad, plan your trip accordingly and overnight here.