MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday intensified an already heated political clash with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, mocking the New York Democrat’s speaking style during a public appearance while celebrating the passage of his newly drawn congressional map.

Speaking in Ormond Beach, DeSantis took aim at Jeffries’ recent warnings to Florida Republicans over redistricting, appearing to use African American vernacular to imitate the Brooklyn lawmaker, who in 2023 became the first Black politician to lead a major party in Congress.

“He’s like, um, ‘We gon’ do maximum warfare against Republicans ... Florida Republicans, you ‘F’ around, you gonna find out,” DeSantis said, before returning to his normal voice.

The remarks mark the latest escalation in a dayslong feud between the two men. Jeffries, fresh off Democratic gains tied to redistricting efforts in other states, has vowed to invest heavily in Florida media markets and contest multiple Republican-held districts if the new map moves forward.

DeSantis has welcomed the challenge, daring Jeffries to “bring it on” and framing the fight as a test of political strength in a state Republicans increasingly view as central to maintaining their narrow U.S. House majority.

Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement comparing DeSantis’ remarks to the late-Birmingham police chief who used dogs and fire hoses to disperse civil rights protesters during the 1960s, Congressional Black Caucus PAC Spokesperson Chris Taylor said, “Ron DeSantis isn’t imitating Hakeem Jeffries. He’s channeling Bull Connor and Americans know what that means.”

The public sniping comes as DeSantis takes a victory lap on a sweeping mid-decade redistricting overhaul that Florida lawmakers approved just 48 hours after it was unveiled. The new congressional map is designed to expand the GOP’s advantage, potentially giving Republicans 24 of the state’s 28 House seats and cutting Democratic-leaning districts in half, and to eliminate what the governor described as a “racially gerrymandered district” in South Florida.

The speed of the map’s passage — and the circumstances surrounding it — have fueled outrage among Democrats and even unease within some Republican circles. Critics argue the process was rushed, opaque, and likely unconstitutional under Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment, which prohibits partisan gerrymandering and the dilution of minority voting power.

Several GOP lawmakers broke ranks to oppose the plan, citing legal uncertainties and the lack of deliberation.

Central to DeSantis’ justification is a newly issued U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which narrowed how states can consider race under the Voting Rights Act when drawing congressional districts. The governor and his legal team had anticipated the decision and called a special legislative session before it was released — a move he defended Thursday as vindicated foresight.

“First of all, we knew,” DeSantis said, recounting how the ruling was handed down as lawmakers debated the map. He argued the decision not only supported but effectively compelled Florida’s redistricting effort.

The court’s 6-3 ruling raised the legal bar for race-based districting but stopped short of banning it outright, leaving significant ambiguity. DeSantis has seized on that ambiguity to argue that race-conscious provisions in Florida’s constitution are now invalid — and, by extension, that the state’s prohibition on partisan gerrymandering may also not apply.

That legal theory is expected to be a focal point of imminent court challenges.

Democrats, meanwhile, contend the map deliberately fragments minority communities — particularly in regions like Tampa Bay and South Florida — in ways that advantage Republicans. They argue the changes amount to a partisan power grab disguised as compliance with evolving federal law.

_____

©2026 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.