TALLAHASSEE -- A Leon County circuit judge will hear Pinellas County's lawsuit against the new state election law Monday morning.
Pinellas isn't suing over the entire bill signed into law by Governor DeSantis. Its objection is to one provision in the law, written so that it effectively applies only to that county. It requires elections for two County Commission seats that normally wouldn't come on the ballot until 2024. The county argues that makes the law a "special bill" that targets Pinellas, which it says is unconstitutional.
At least some commissioners have alleged the bill was written to benefit State Representative Chris Latvala, who's term-limited out of office this year. Latvala has said he will seek a commission seat in 2022.
Judge John Cooper will hear arguments starting at 9 a.m.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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