Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat running for Orange County Mayor, took on the issue of creating more attainable housing in Central Florida.
The Orange County candidate said that while the local mayor is not responsible for building all the units needed, she emphasized that the mayor can find funding, facilitate building and focus on streamlining the process for building more units.
“Focus is the key here,” Stephanie Murphy said in a recent campaign video. “We need a mayor who is relentlessly focused on how inflation, the cost of houses and rents, is squeezing everyday families like never before.”
While addressing the issue of housing, the Democratic candidate running in the local nonpartisan race also provided more about her own personal background.
“I’m a refugee and immigrant who grew up in a trailer park, my parents working multiple jobs including cleaning buildings at night,” Stephanie Murphy said. “I’ll never forget what it’s like to be a little girl in a family struggling, really really struggling, to make ends meet.”
According to her bio, Murphy was just a baby when her parents fled communist Vietnam, risking everything for freedom. After their boat ran out of fuel in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy rescued them and offered her family the opportunity to start a new life in America. Her parents arrived in with nothing and worked tirelessly to provide for their family.
She also emphasized that her personal experience will help make her be a more effective mayor for the community.
“People need to know I don’t just have ideas on how to solve the problem. I have the lived experience to understand the urgency. It’s why I’ll be an effective mayor, ensuring Orange County has attainable housing,” Stephanie Murphy concluded.
This is already a big issue in Orange County. Mayor Jerry Demings, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Florida Governor, launched the Housing for All initiative to promote and incentivize the development of affordable and attainable housing in Orange County, but only a few thousand affordable housing units have been created and the community needs more. View the Orange County Housing Trust Fund Plan FY 2026-2028 online.
Stephanie Murphy is a former U.S. Congresswoman representing Central Florida, the first Vietnamese-American woman ever elected. Previously, she also worked at the Pentagon as a national security specialist. She lives in Winter Park with her husband, who owns a small business in Maitland.
Other candidates who have currently filed intent to run for Orange County Mayor include Commissioner Mayra Uribe, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, Chris Messina, Randy Fust Jr., and Safraaz Alli.
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