When state lawmakers meet in Tallahassee on Thursday to begin changing congressional districts declared illegal by a judge, they'll do so with specific instructions.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the state House and Senate redistricting committee leaders told lawmakers not to discuss map drawing efforts with anyone outside of the Legislature except legal counsel.

Florida legislators will hold a nine-day special session starting on Thursday to redraw the state's 27 congressional districts. Circuit Judge Terry Lewis had given legislators until Aug. 15 to draw up a new map that may be used for a special election later this year.

Lewis is scheduled to hold an Aug. 20 hearing to consider the new map.

Meanwhile, the warnings from Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Trinity, are basically telling lawmakers not to make the same mistake they did two years ago when original maps were drawn and allowed GOP consultants to play a role in the map-making process.

Voters in 2010 passed new standards that said legislators cannot draw up districts to favor incumbents or a political party.

The congressional map adopted by the Legislature in 2012 was challenged by several groups, including the League of Women Voters, who contended that the GOP consultants used a "shadow'' process to draw districts that benefited Republicans.

Lewis agreed, ruling that the consultants had helped make a "mockery'' of the process and that there was evidence they helped "manipulate'' the Legislature into a violation of its constitutional duty. The judge relied on emails and documents that have been kept under seal although the state Supreme Court is scheduled to consider whether that information should be made public.

Lawmakers expect fixing the map to be a quick fix, possibly not lasting past Monday or Tuesday.