Darren Soto

Darren Soto
Born	Darren Michael Soto 25 2, 1978
Birthplace	Ringwood, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, politician
Known for	U.S. Representative for Florida's 9th congressional district
Education	George Washington University (JD)
Website	[soto.house.gov Official site]

Darren Michael Soto (born February 25, 1978) is an American attorney and Democratic politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 9th congressional district since January 3, 2017. Born in Ringwood, New Jersey, Soto relocated to central Florida, where he built a career in law and public service that carried him from the Florida House of Representatives to the Florida Senate and ultimately to the United States Congress. He succeeded Alan Grayson in representing a district that encompasses portions of Orange, Osceola, and Polk counties — a region with one of the largest Puerto Rican communities on the U.S. mainland. Before entering Congress, Soto served five years in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 49th district, and four years in the Florida Senate, representing the 14th district. Throughout his legislative career, Soto has focused on issues including environmental conservation, immigration reform, technology policy, and constituent services for central Florida. In recent years, he has been involved in legislative efforts concerning Social Security protections, environmental preservation of the Kissimmee River, immigration-related legislation, and redistricting matters in the state of Florida.

Early Life

Darren Michael Soto was born on February 25, 1978, in Ringwood, New Jersey. He is of Puerto Rican descent, a background that has informed his political engagement with the large and growing Puerto Rican community in central Florida. Soto grew up in New Jersey before eventually relocating to the state of Florida, where he would pursue both his legal career and his political ambitions.

Details regarding Soto's childhood and family life in Ringwood are limited in publicly available records. Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, situated in the northern part of the state near the New York border. Soto's upbringing in a northeastern community with ties to the broader Latino diaspora shaped his later advocacy on issues affecting Hispanic and Puerto Rican populations in Florida.

After completing his secondary education in New Jersey, Soto moved to pursue higher education, ultimately settling in the central Florida region that he would go on to represent at both the state and federal levels of government.

Education

Soto attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently attended the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) degree. His legal education at George Washington University provided the foundation for his career as an attorney in Florida prior to entering electoral politics. After completing law school, Soto practiced law in central Florida, focusing on areas relevant to the communities he would later represent.

Career

Florida House of Representatives (2007–2012)

Soto entered elected office on April 24, 2007, when he began serving in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 49th district. He succeeded John Quiñones in the seat. During his five years in the Florida House, Soto worked on legislation across a range of policy areas relevant to his central Florida constituents.

His tenure in the Florida House established him as a legislator engaged with issues including education funding, environmental policy, and community development. The 49th district encompassed portions of central Florida with significant demographic diversity, including a substantial and growing Puerto Rican and Hispanic population.

Soto served in the Florida House until November 6, 2012, when he transitioned to the Florida Senate following redistricting and the creation of a new Senate district. He was succeeded in the House by Victor Torres, who represented the redistricted area.

Florida Senate (2012–2016)

On November 6, 2012, Soto was elected to the Florida Senate, representing the newly created 14th district. The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Soto in the 2012 Senate race, noting his qualifications for the position.

During his four years in the Florida Senate, Soto was an active legislator who sponsored and co-sponsored numerous bills. He filed legislation on a wide variety of topics, from environmental issues to public safety and education.

Environmental Advocacy

Soto developed a notable record on environmental issues during his time in the Florida Senate. In 2015, he was named a "Champion of the Everglades" in recognition of his legislative work to protect Florida's natural ecosystems. He filed Senate Bill 166 during the 2015 legislative session, which addressed environmental policy matters in the state.

He also filed Senate Bill 280 during the same session, continuing his legislative engagement with environmental and policy issues affecting central Florida.

Chloe's Law

One of Soto's notable legislative achievements in the Florida Senate was his involvement with "Chloe's Law," a bill filed in memory of a University of Central Florida student. The legislation aimed to help deaf Floridians who may face dangerous situations during encounters with law enforcement. The bill passed both the Florida House and Senate. The legislation was also covered by WFSU News, which reported on the efforts to assist deaf Floridians who might face arrest due to communication barriers with police.

Education and Community Funding

During his time in the Florida Senate, Soto worked to secure funding for educational institutions in his district. He and state Representative La Rosa announced $11.9 million in funding for Valencia College's Poinciana Campus, a project aimed at expanding higher education access in the Osceola County area. Governor Rick Scott subsequently approved $12.1 million for the Poinciana Campus project.

Soto also worked to protect local projects from the governor's budget vetoes. Several Osceola County projects that Soto supported survived Governor Scott's veto process, securing funding for community development in the region. However, some legislative priorities were affected by the governor's vetoes during the 2015 session, including hurricane-related funding measures.

Immigration Issues

While in the Florida Senate, Soto engaged with immigration-related policy issues. He was among those involved in advocacy around allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in Florida, an issue that drew public protests and legislative attention in 2014.

Soto also filed Senate Bill 986 in 2013, early in his Senate tenure, as part of his broader legislative agenda.

Congressional Campaign (2015–2016)

In 2015, Soto announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives, seeking to represent Florida's 9th congressional district. The seat was being vacated by incumbent Alan Grayson, who chose to run for the U.S. Senate rather than seek re-election.

Soto ran in the Democratic primary, drawing on his record in the Florida Legislature and his connections to the central Florida community. He prevailed in both the primary and general elections, winning the seat to represent a district that included portions of Orange, Osceola, and Polk counties. Upon taking office on January 3, 2017, Soto became the first person of Puerto Rican descent to represent Florida in the U.S. Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives (2017–present)

Since entering Congress in January 2017, Soto has represented Florida's 9th congressional district, serving consecutive terms through multiple election cycles. His legislative work in Congress has continued themes from his state-level career, including environmental conservation, immigration policy, technology regulation, and constituent services for central Florida.

Environmental Legislation

Soto has maintained his focus on environmental issues in Congress. In April 2025, he introduced the Kissimmee River Wild and Scenic River Act, which would direct the U.S. government to study the Kissimmee River for potential designation as a Wild and Scenic River, providing additional federal protections for the waterway.

Immigration and Civil Liberties

Immigration has remained a central issue for Soto throughout his congressional career, given the demographics of his district. In May 2025, Soto joined with Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal to re-introduce the Protect Patriot Spouses Act, a bipartisan bill designed to protect the spouses of U.S. military service members from deportation or immigration enforcement actions.

In February 2026, Soto and fellow central Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging her not to open an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in the Orlando area. Reports had indicated that the proposed facility would cost nearly $100 million.

Soto voted against the Laken Riley Act, a decision that drew criticism from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which targeted him and other Democratic members over the vote.

Social Security Advocacy

In August 2025, Soto hosted an event in Kissimmee to commemorate 90 years of Social Security and to publicly oppose Republican proposals to reduce Social Security benefits. The event highlighted Soto's position as a defender of the entitlement program, which serves a large number of retirees in central Florida.

Redistricting

In July 2025, Soto publicly stated his intention to fight any effort to redistrict Florida before the midterm elections, positioning himself against potential changes to congressional district boundaries that could affect his seat and other Democratic-held districts in the state.

Constituent Services and Annual Reporting

In January 2026, Soto's office released its 2025 end-of-year report, summarizing the congressman's legislative and constituent service activities over the course of the year.

Electoral Challenges

Soto has faced competitive re-election campaigns in his central Florida district. Heading into the 2026 election cycle, reporting indicated that former congressional candidate Thomas Chalifoux closed 2025 with nearly $2 million in campaign funds, while Soto raised less than most other Democratic incumbents targeted by Republicans.

Personal Life

Soto was married to Amanda Soto. The couple married in 2013 and divorced in 2024. He is based in the Kissimmee area of Osceola County, within the district he represents in Congress.

Soto is of Puerto Rican heritage, and he has been an advocate for the Puerto Rican community in central Florida, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters affecting Puerto Rico and the resulting migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland United States.

Recognition

During his career in the Florida Legislature, Soto received recognition for his environmental advocacy. In October 2015, he was named a "Champion of the Everglades" for his work on legislation aimed at protecting Florida's Everglades ecosystem.

The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Soto in his 2012 Florida Senate race, recognizing his qualifications and legislative record.

As a member of Congress, Soto has been recognized within the Democratic caucus for his work on technology and cryptocurrency policy, environmental issues, and Puerto Rican affairs. His bipartisan legislative efforts, such as the Protect Patriot Spouses Act co-sponsored with Republican members, have drawn attention for reaching across party lines on immigration issues affecting military families.

Soto's passage of Chloe's Law through the Florida Legislature was noted as a significant achievement in advocacy for deaf and hard-of-hearing Floridians, addressing a gap in public safety protocols during law enforcement encounters.

Legacy

Darren Soto holds the distinction of being the first person of Puerto Rican descent to represent the state of Florida in the United States Congress. This milestone reflects the demographic transformation of central Florida, where the Puerto Rican population has grown substantially since the early 2000s, particularly in the Orlando metropolitan area and the Interstate 4 corridor.

His career spanning nearly two decades of elected service — from the Florida House of Representatives beginning in 2007 through his ongoing service in the U.S. House of Representatives — has been marked by consistent engagement with environmental conservation, immigration reform, education funding, and technology policy. His work securing funding for Valencia College's Poinciana Campus represented a tangible investment in educational infrastructure in Osceola County.

Soto's legislative record in the Florida Senate, including the passage of Chloe's Law and his advocacy for Everglades protection, established patterns of legislative focus that he carried into his congressional career. His introduction of the Kissimmee River Wild and Scenic River Act in 2025 continued a long-standing commitment to environmental preservation in central Florida.

As a representative of a district with a significant and diverse Latino population, Soto has served as a voice for issues affecting Hispanic communities at the federal level, including disaster relief for Puerto Rico, immigration policy, and opposition to immigration enforcement measures that he has characterized as harmful to central Florida communities.