As part of Positively Osceola’s 2026 — A New Year, A New Hope series, Florida Senator for District 25 Kristen Arrington reflects on her first year in office—highlighting tangible results for Osceola County while looking ahead to continued advocacy, accountability, and protections for the community she proudly calls home.

2025 was my first year as a State Senator and I am very proud of the work we accomplished. We navigated challenges, such as having an extended 106-day session, but our results speak for themselves, despite uncertainty in Tallahassee.

I am proud to have brought home over $10 million dollars for our community. This includes funding for critical road projects, funding for treatment against invasive hydrilla in Lake Toho, and combatting human trafficking. My office also closed over 3,000 constituent cases this past year, with each case representing a member of our community receiving the help they need. I am passionate about animals, specifically shelter dogs and cats, and I am so proud to have amended CS/HB 255, to include a public statewide database of animal cruelty offenders. With these changes I hope to empower shelters and rescue groups by giving them the tools to screen potential pet adopters for any prior offenses related to animal cruelty.

As we head into the 2026 session, my priorities are focused on improvement you can see, protections for our children and our animals, and transparency to our homeowner boards. I will fight to continue to bring home funding for road projects, as traffic is one of the top issues brought to my office. I will continue to expand child and animal protections, with SB 676, which would make it a felony to commit an act of animal cruelty in front of a child or force a minor to participate in acts of animal cruelty. I am proud to sponsor SB 1180 to create a recall process for CDD board members. This legislation was inspired by a troubling case here in Osceola County and I am honored to continue my commitment to accountability and transparency for my constituents.

My priority is always to ensure Osceola County, my hometown, is properly represented at the state level. In this new year, I hope to be the Senator that Osceola deserves. Our community is growing at an unprecedented rate, and we all have a front row seat to “what’s next.” I am proud to represent this amazing and unique place and even more proud to call it my home. I will work tirelessly to ensure that Osceola is never forgotten and always has a seat at the table.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with a state agency or wants to learn about other services offered through my office, please do not hesitate to reach us at (407) 846-5187 or email us at Arrington.Kristen.Web@flsenate.gov.