Gilbert and Brown outline views on affordability, housing, immigration in Florida's 24th District race

Affordability, housing, health care, and immigration are among the key issues in Florida's 24th Congressional District race, where Democrat Oliver Gilbert and Republican Te Brown are competing for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

CBS News Miami's Chelsea Jones spoke with both candidates about their positions on issues affecting the district and heard from voters about who they plan to support in November.

Dawn Obidiebube, a District 24 resident who supported Shevrin Jones in the Democratic primary, said she is now backing Gilbert.

"Believe it or not, we had all great candidates," Obidiebube said. "They all brought a different element to the race, but they were all great."

One of her top priorities is completing Miami-Dade County's Northeast Corridor rapid transit project, which she believes could improve transportation access and connect residents to economic opportunities.

"I think it's good for our community because I think it will reduce traffic on I-95," Obidiebube said. "It will connect the north corridor to higher wages and good health care."

Gilbert also supports expanding mass transit and says increasing the housing supply is essential to addressing affordability.

"The more supply you have relative to the amount of demand, the lower the cost is going to be," Gilbert said. "So we need to find ways to do that, and that automatically ties to rapid mass transit."

Brown, meanwhile, says lowering credit requirements could help more people qualify to buy homes.

The Republican also emphasized bringing investment into the district, lowering gas prices, and cutting taxes. Brown said accomplishing those goals would require working with members of Congress as well as local and state officials.

How do both candidates stand on immigration?  

Immigration is another issue separating the candidates as they make their cases to voters.

Gilbert said he supports comprehensive immigration reform, extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and establishing a pathway to citizenship.

"We obviously need comprehensive immigration reform, but we need to extend TPS right now," Gilbert said. "We need to provide a path to citizenship right now."

He added that protections are particularly important for people who came to the United States from countries they cannot safely return to.

Brown said the border must be secure, but agreed that a pathway to citizenship should be available under certain conditions.

"There's going to have to be some qualifications," Brown said. "Are you working? Do you have a home? There has to be some stipulations when it comes to staying in our country."

Residents' opinions on Gilbert and Brown

Residents expressed differing views about which candidate should represent the district.

One voter, who identified as a District 24 resident, pointed to Gilbert's experience.

"Well, Oliver, he has a track record," the voter said. "He's been around here for quite a while."

Tyler Wright, another District 24 resident, said he supports Brown.

"I personally support Te Brown because I believe she represents accountability and transparency the most," Wright said.

The candidates also offered different approaches to addressing affordability.

Gilbert said he would oppose the president on tariffs, while Brown said she plans to donate her first year's congressional salary to the district.