ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – In an exclusive interview with News 6, Florida Congressman Darren Soto (D) District 9 said affordable housing and financial assistance for flooding are the top concerns for his constituents living in the 32825 ZIP code.
“We have 1,000 people moving to Central Florida every week, and I’m sure many of them would be thrilled to live in 32825,” Soto said. “It’s got great resources in that it’s close to downtown, it’s close to the 408.”
But Soto conceded the cost of living, including the price of homes in the area, make the 32825 an expensive proposition for first-time home buyers.
“No doubt home affordability becomes a challenge and it’s a double-edged sword,” Soto told News 6. “If you own a home already, your house went up 40%, but if you didn’t buy a house yet or you’re renting and you’re a first-time homebuyer, it’s a challenge.”
The veteran congressman serves residents south of Curry Ford Road, part of a population that stands at 63,000 and counting.
Soto said he is currently working to get East Orlando federal funding this spring with a target of $2.5 million earmarked for a major flood control project.
“It’s funding that’s already in the House budget for the 2024 budget,” Soto said. “The biggest project I’ve requested in this 2024 budget is an East Orlando flood control project, my hope is we will get it passed sometime in March.”
Soto told News 6 residents in the 32825 need to have a beefed-up home replacement value in insurance policies to match the inflation that has seen homes jump in median value from $248,000 in 2019 to $380,000 in 2023.
The current replacement value stands at $250,000, a figure Soto views as a financial “challenge to build a nice home for your family in East Orlando.”
Soto says the cost of living is most pronounced at the grocery store, one reason he says he “fought to get on the House Agriculture Committee.”
“We’re working on a farm bill that we’re hopeful to pass out of the end of the year,” Soto told News 6. “It will help out with food assistance, lowering food costs and also help farmers, growers and ranchers help feed America.”
Soto says he remains optimistic about the future of ZIP code 32825 as long as affordable housing is brought into the picture along with financial support from state and federal leaders.
“Certainly (32825) has its challenges of making it more affordable for new families coming in,” he said. “Making sure we have enough parks in the areas like that and then of course, flooding will be the main thing I’ll be working on that for the foreseeable future.”
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: