SARASOTA, Fla. — The City of Sarasota has a new young and diverse face as its mayor.
Last week, the city commission voted to make 31-year-old Erik Arroyo Sarasota's mayor. The moment was historic for both Arroyo and the city as he is now the youngest person to ever hold the seat and is also Sarasota's first Hispanic mayor.
Arroyo came to the United States as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic when he left his grandfather to join his mother who was already living in the country and had just completed her citizenship process.
"We have no indoor air-conditioning, my roofs were made of tin, some rooms didn't have floors, we had an outdoor outhouse, and I was raised by a single mom who came to America and said I'm going to work my butt off and she worked numerous jobs to make it happen and here we are," said Arroyo.
The 31-year-old began his new life in Sarasota living in one of the neighborhoods around East Avenue and attended both Manatee Community College and Florida A&M University College of Law.
He works at a law firm and served as vice-mayor on the Board of City Commission for a year before taking his new role.
Arroyo said one of his goals is to help the area's growing Hispanic community by giving their needs a prominent voice.
"The fact that I am the youngest mayor and the first born in a Hispanic country proves how forward-thinking our city is and how inclusive it is, so it's an honor to be in this position," he said.
"Knowing that you have support by going somewhere and somebody can translate for you or be there for you and now we have that. So, it feels good and it is truly a blessing for the Hispanic community," Arroyo added.
Folks in the neighborhoods where Arroyo lived are excited and inspired by his rise to become the city's mayor.
"It's good that the mayor is Hispanic, that he comes from the lower class, the class that comes to thrive and fight to help our families. Whether they come from any of the places, like in Peru, in Dominican Republic, all of the world, we come to work and help our families, help our countries," said Diego Marino, a Spanish-speaking immigrant from Cuba who lives in Sarasota.
Aside from helping marginalized communities have better access to resources, Arroyo said there are several other challenges he hopes to tackle while in his new position.
"The key priorities are homelessness, continuing to increase our quality of life, continuing to take care of our infrastructure, and our people and affordable housing. Those are the major, major areas," Arroyo said.
Arroyo's position is ceremonial as Sarasota's mayor is not elected through electoral votes but rather by city commissioners. He has a one-year term unless re-elected.
"Truly, truly the diversity and people of Sarasota make it the best place to be," Arroyo said.