ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Redistricting Advisory Committee members are one step closer to carving out two new commission districts.

The 15-member committee is redrawing lines for the Board of County Commission districts so there can be more representation as the area continues to grow.

What You Need To Know

  • The deadline for Orange County Redistricting Committee members to submit map proposals is July 3

  • The panel of 15 members was formed in January after Orange County voters approved a charter amendment to expand the number of commission districts from six to eight

  • The county’s rapid population growth is one of the principal reasons for the redistricting process

Over the past few months, the Redistricting Advisory Committee has been reviewing map submissions that could dictate what the political future of Orange County will look like. The committee seeks to give residents a first look at what Orange County would look like with eight county commission districts instead of six.

Per the county’s website, the county will use Geographic Information System (or GIS mapping) to “create maps and analyze real-time impacts of boundary changes on key factors like demographics.”

Only committee members are allowed to submit maps for consideration.

So far, three maps have been submitted ahead of Wednesday's meeting review, according to the OCFL Mapping 2025 site. 

Two maps submitted on June 10 and 11 were sent in by committee member David Washington, chosen by District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero.

The other committee member selected by Cordero is Rishi Bagga, who submitted a third map on June 12.

Once those new districts are established, some residents will have new commissioners in charge of making decisions on issues ranging from infrastructure to public safety.

The redistricting initiative was sparked by the rapid population growth in Orange County.

Right now, Orange County has an estimated 1.5 million residents, and that number is expected to grow.

Committee members said they would address this growth by “ensuring fair and equal representation through transparency and community input.”

The committee, which has been meeting since early this year, has been gathering community input, reviewing census data and making suggestions for district boundary lines. 

Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said in March that there are pros and cons to the process.

Having two new district commissioners will mean more accountability on the issues facing those districts, Uribe said, but representation of citizens also comes down to who residents elect.

Leaders said at the last district meeting that one of the greatest concerns they’ve heard from the public is an interest in keeping communities of interest together.

July 3 is the last day for committee members to submit those plans, which will be reviewed at the following committee meeting on Wednesday, July 9.

An official date for adopting the new maps has already been set for Sept. 3.