Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 8:32 AM 
Subject: Redistricting Information from Rep. Weldon

There has been some confusing and misleading information passed along recently about the redistricting effort in Florida. To reduce confusion, Congressman Weldon has written the following letter to local mayors. Weldon's district director, Brian Chase has asked me to pass this along to you for your information and understanding.

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Dear Mayor:

I want to thank you for your support during the ongoing Congressional redistricting process.  Since the State Legislature is responsible for drawing all political district lines and Congress has no formal role in this process, I rely on the citizens of the district to provide input to their state legislators to ensure their views are heard.  I know you and some of your colleagues have sent, or are planning to send, resolutions concerning this process, and I want to make sure you know where I stand on this important matter.

I first want to assure you that my desire in this process is for Brevard and Indian River County to remain wholly within Congressional District 15, and then for the balance of the population to be taken from eastern Osceola County, including the City of St. Cloud.  Making relatively minor modifications to the existing district is the plan best suited for the region but, to date, none of the proposed maps do that.

As you well know, there are many debates in Tallahassee about the shape of Congressional districts and where the two new Congressional seats should be placed.  Population growth trends do point towards one new seat in South Florida and one new seat in Central Florida, but this has not yet been finalized. Furthermore, there are proposed plans in the State House of Representatives that would remove part of Brevard County and include it in a new East Central Florida Congressional district; I do not endorse any of those plans as the final district map at this time.  However, I recognize this is a difficult and challenging issue that has national implications for the direction of our nation, so I am prepared to work with our state legislators in securing a map that best reflects our interests.  I am committed to obtaining a district that meets as many of our criteria as possible so that we can continue to work on behalf of the citizens of this area.

I have the utmost confidence in our legislative delegation, that they are working on behalf of the Space and Treasure Coasts to secure a district that benefits the entire area, and I appreciate your efforts to keep them informed regarding your priorities.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my District Director, Brian Chase, at (321) 632-1776.  It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Congress.

Sincerely,



Dave Weldon
Member of Congress

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BRIAN CHASE
U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon (R)
Florida's 15th District
brianechase@earthlink.net