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Meet Darren Soto

Darren Soto was elected to Congress in 2016 to represent Florida’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes all of Osceola County, and parts of Orange and Polk Counties. Darren is proud to be the first person of Puerto Rican descent to serve in Congress from Florida.

Darren Soto is an accomplished lawyer, legislator, environmentalist, and proud progressive representing the diverse, hardworking people of Central Florida in Congress. After graduating law school, Darren went into practice in Orlando to stand up for people in the courtroom (and play music on the side). He became involved with the Young Democrats and was elected to the Florida House at the age of 29. He served for five and a half years in the Florida House of Representatives before he was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served for four years. During his nearly 10 years in the Florida Legislature, Darren worked to bring high-paying, high tech jobs to Central Florida, protect our clean air, land, and water, expand and protect health care, help families facing foreclosure, and improve education. 

In Congress, he serves on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee and the Agriculture Committee where he fights to increase access to healthcare for all Americans, combat climate change, protect clean air and water, boost American technology and innovation, and protect consumers.

During his nearly six years in the House, he has brought millions in federal funding back to the district for disaster relief, to improve infrastructure for SunRail, I-4 expansion and other new roads, to provide food and housing assistance, to support local agriculture, to boost high tech high paying jobs, and help small businesses and the unemployed. In Congress, he’s also passed major legislation to increase hurricane readiness, protect Florida’s coasts from foreign offshore oil drilling, preserve marine life, honor veterans and civil rights heroes, map sinkholes, designate the Pulse National Memorial, provide Medicaid parity to Puerto Rico, and grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to Venezuelan refugees.

On the Energy and Commerce Committee, Darren directly worked on many sections of the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the new Infrastructure Law. These efforts were critical to help us recover from the pandemic and upgrade infrastructure for fast growing Central Florida to fix the traffic, ensure clean air and water, and protect our quality of life.

Darren is a graduate of Rutgers University and George Washington University School of Law. His wife Amanda has worked as a math and science coach in Osceola and Orange County public schools, and is a member of the Osceola County Classroom Teachers Association.