Darren Soto
DemocratU.S. Representative, FL-9| Age | 48 (b. 1978-02-25) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2017-01-03 (~9 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latino (Puerto Rican father, O. Lou Soto) and Italian-American (mother, Jean Soto) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | B.A. in Economics, Rutgers University (2000); J.D., George Washington University Law School (2004) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney (family law, civil litigation, and real estate law in Central Florida) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Ringwood, New Jersey |
| Languages | English (primary); has stated he is not fluent in Spanish |
| Marital status | Married — Sheyla A. Asencios (married January 24, 2026); previously married to Amanda Soto (2013-2024, divorced) |
| Children | 0 |
| Residence | Kissimmee / Orlando area, Florida (Florida's 9th district) |
Pending research: notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2016 (U.S. House; took office January 3, 2017). First elected to public office (Florida House) in 2007. |
| Previous offices | Florida House of Representatives, 49th District (2007-2012) · Florida Senate, 14th District (2012-2016) |
| Committees | Committee on Energy and Commerce (Subcommittees on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade; Communications and Technology; Environment) · Committee on Natural Resources (Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Deputy Chair) · New Democrat Coalition · Problem Solvers Caucus · Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus (Vice Chair) |
| Leadership | Deputy Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Vice Chair, Congressional Equality Caucus |
| Ideology | Generally a mainstream/moderate Democrat; member of both the New Democrat Coalition and Progressive Caucus. GovTrack classifies him in the center of the Democratic caucus. |
| Signature legislation | Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (Hurricane Hunters provisions) · Foreign Spill Protection Act (2017) · Shark and Billfish Protection Act (H.R. 4528, 2018) · Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) Act (2019) · Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 · Pulse National Memorial legislation (2020) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Top donors: AIPAC (pro-Israel) · GuideWell Mutual Holding (Florida Blue parent) · SEIU · Amscot Financial
Top industries: Pro-Israel · Health Professionals · Lawyers/Law Firms · Finance/Insurance/Real Estate
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.