OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Commission has elected Brandon Arrington to serve as chair. The long‑time local official is well aware of the concerns over traffic, affordability and development that have stretched across the county for more than a decade.
Arrington, first elected to the commission in 2008 as District 3 commissioner, said his lifelong ties to the area inform his approach. “My mother’s family moved here in the 50’s. They were actually dirt farmers. They grew watermelons, cabbage,” he said, recounting memories of the county’s rural past. His mother, Mary Jane Arrington, was the first female Osceola County commissioner and currently serves as the county’s supervisor of elections. His wife is state Sen. Kristen Arrington.
Residents and county leaders alike have repeatedly raised concerns over worsening traffic congestion and rapid development. Arrington acknowledged those pressures and pointed to demographic projections that underscore the challenge. “They are projecting that we are supposed to double our population in the next 25 years,” he said, adding urgency to long‑term transportation and land‑use planning.
Arrington said raising new revenue for transportation has been difficult. He recalled two unsuccessful bids to win voter approval for an additional penny sales tax intended to fund transportation projects. “Twice in my time being here, I’ve gone out to the voters for additional penny sales tax to help transportation. That initiative has failed twice. Unfortunately,” he said. The chair also noted that the county currently charges some of the highest mobility fees in the state as officials try to fund infrastructure needed to support growth.
At the same time, Arrington said state policy has limited local options for managing development. “The state has removed more growth controls from local governments in the past 15 years,” he said, adding that those changes have constrained the county’s ability to direct where and how development occurs.
Arrington also acknowledged past missteps. Reflecting on a development decision he approved, he said, “There was a rural enclave that I had approved that, looking back now, I would not have done it. Just where the location was, we should have left it a rural enclave.” He said that admission shapes his current priorities.
As solutions, Arrington advocated for a shift toward master‑planned, mixed‑use communities designed to increase walkability and preserve natural spaces. “We have master planned communities that are already laid out, from a design perspective, and taking a much more mixed-use component, create more walkability but also embrace natural spaces as well,” he said, outlining his vision for balancing growth with livability.
Commission colleagues reelected Arrington to the chairmanship as the county faces the tough, costly work of building roads, expanding transit options and addressing housing affordability — challenges that county officials say will require sustained planning, state cooperation and voter support for funding measures.
All commissioners have one vote, and Arrington does not have any more voting power despite being chair.