Maxwell Alejandro Frost, born on January 17, 1997, comes from a diverse heritage with roots in Puerto Rican, Lebanese, and Haitian ancestry. Adopted at birth by Patrick Frost, a Kansas-born musician-producer, and his wife Maritza Argibay-Frost, a special education teacher who immigrated to the US from Cuba as a child in the 1960s, Maxwell was joined by his sister, María Elizabeth, three years later. Frost’s love for music surfaced during elementary school, prompting his father to gift him his first drum set. By the time he reached high school, Frost had become a skilled percussionist and band leader of the award-winning salsa band Seguro Que Sí, based at the Osceola County School for the
Arts. The band would have the opportunity of a lifetime when
they performed at the parade for President Barack Obama’s
second inauguration.
Frost was first inspired to join the fight to end gun violence following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School when 20 students and six faculty members tragically lost their lives. Frost began working for campaigns across Florida—including during the 2016 presidential race, when he was part of Hillary Clinton’s staff, and in the following election, as a member of the advance team for Bernie Sanders to drive youth voter turnout. At the ACLU, Frost worked tirelessly as an organizer, advocating for the passage of Amendment Four in Florida, a measure that would reinstate voting rights for former felons and championed abortion rights for Floridians. Frost later became the National Organizing Director for March For Our Lives, one of the largest youth-led political movements to fight for comprehensive gun safety laws.
In the summer of 2021, Frost reconnected with his birth mother for the first time. He discovered his biological mother was caught in a cycle of crime and violence while pregnant. As a mother of seven, she made the difficult decision to put him up for adoption because she lacked the resources to care for and raise another child.
This was a turning point in Frost’s decision to run for office. Frost made waves when he was elected as the first Gen Z member of Congress, representing the heart of Central Florida. Frost was ceremonially sworn in by former Congresswoman Val Demings in front of a crowd of over 1,000 people who came from all across Florida’s 10th congressional district in Central Florida to celebrate alongside Frost as he became their newest member of Congress.
Fueled by his own experience as a survivor of gun violence and a decade of work as an activist and organizer, Frost came to Congress to champion gun safety. Which is why the first bill Frost introduced, alongside Sen. Murphy, was the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act in March 2023. Deeply motivated by the issues impacting his community, Frost has also introduced the End Junk Fees for Renters Act, which would bring back power to renters and create more transparency and accountability in the renting process and is also helping deliver over $11 Million to community projects across Central Florida.
In September of 2023, Frost’s calls for action became a reality when President Biden announced the formation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Frost had the opportunity to introduce the President in the Rose Garden and celebrate with his colleagues from the gun violence prevention movement. As a freshman member of the minority party in this 118th Congress, Frost has had to overcome many setbacks, but he has never let that stop him from being fearless or creative. With 100 lives lost daily to gun violence in the United States, addressing this issue was urgent. Through creative organizing, Frost sought the power of the Biden-Harris Administration to establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention — a testament to young activists having the power to change the world.
I’ve devoted my life to the pursuit of justice, and no matter the hurdles that may arise, I remain steadfast in my commitment to advocating for all and working tirelessly on behalf of all. It’s clear that the extremists are hurting Floridians. We’ll continue introducing legislation that transforms lives, bringing back federal money to uplift underserved communities in Central Florida and assisting you in cutting through government red tape. We’ll continue working with you and for you in Congress and back home in the district.
As a former organizer, if there is one thing I know, change is a process, not an event. Each day presents an opportunity to make incremental strides and create legislation that sets the stage for our collective future. Since I was little, I’ve always had big ideas and looked at the whole picture. And when you step back and envision our future, a sense of hope runs through me that we can build an equitable future that leaves nobody behind. Because when we lead with love, there is no limit to what we can achieve.