Scott secretly put the brakes on Amendments 5 and 6.

[Orlandodem]

We have got to make noise - Facebook, LTTEs, water cooler chit chat. This guy is trying to subvert the will of nearly 63% of the voters. We MUST force the Rethugs to stop the gerrymandering and the way to do it is to publicly humiliate them. Make sure this issue sees the light of day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TALLAHASSEE — Three days after taking office, Gov. Rick Scott abruptly put the brakes on the implementation of two redistricting amendments overwhelmingly passed by voters last fall.

The move to withdraw Florida’s request for federal “pre-clearance” to enforce the new mandates came with no public notice. Amendments 5 and 6 were designed to thwart gerrymandering when lawmakers re-draw their political maps every decade. But Florida needs to get “pre-clearance” to make changes to its elections law that affect minority-rights under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist had filed the paperwork with the federal Department of Justice on Dec. 10. But Scott’s Jan. 7 letter withdrawing that request makes no mention of why he was changing course.

And electioneering groups that supported the measures blasted the move Tuesday as the latest attempt by Republican politicians to keep their grip on power.

“The Governor and Secretary of State have no right to abuse their positions to prevent implementation of these needed reforms,” said FairDistricts Now Board member Leon Russell who is Vice Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the NAACP.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/01/scott-secretly-puts-the-breaks-on-fair-districts.html#comments