On Monday, the results of the 2020 census were released. They determined that Florida had a population growth of 14.6% in the years from 2010 to 2020. This makes Florida gain one new US House seat. As of the beginning of this month, the population is about 21,538,187, according to the Miami Herald.

Now, Florida has 28 House members and 30 votes in the nation’s Electoral College. Other states like Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and North Carolina also gained a seat. Texas got two.

Florida was just shy of earning its second seat, but it is agreed that the population trends in Texas and Florida were similar in these past ten years, although it wasn’t just international migrations but the migration of people already within the states moving to new states.

Overall, the National population grew only 7.4%, making it the second smallest ever recorded. There are still some details about last year’s census that are pending, and will be released later this year.

Talk about the House seat’s placement is still being debated, and will be finalized later in the year as well.

I asked some juniors at ILS for their views on this potential shift in politics in our home state.

Mia Castellon commented that she personally thinks Florida’s weather might be a reason for the migration of so many people, along with the “idealized lifestyle” that many dream of having when moving to places like Miami and Orlando.

Katrina Díaz-Balart commented that the new house seat we have “will better represent Florida and the interests of its people.”

However, she blamed COVID for the influx of people. Since “we had lesser restrictions and people wanted that freedom,” she concluded. Maybe that is not the best reason to move to Florida, but it is a reason nonetheless.

For more information on the census results here in Florida and the new House seat, check out this article on the Miami Herald.