Kelli Stargel | |
---|---|
Member of the Florida Senate | |
In office November 6, 2012 –November 8, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Paula Dockery |
Succeeded by | Joe Gruters |
Constituency | 15th district (2012–2016) 22nd district (2016–2022) |
Member of the FloridaHouseofRepresentatives from the 64th district | |
In office November 4,2008 –November 6,2012 | |
Preceded by | Dennis Ross |
Succeeded by | Redistricted |
Personal details | |
Born | March 23,1966 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | John K. Stargel |
Education | Tallahassee Community College |
Kelli Stargel (born March 23,1966) is an American politician who is a former Republican member of the Florida State Senate,representing the Lakeland area from 2012-2022. She has represented the 22nd district,encompassing northern Polk and southern Lake Counties,since 2016,after being redistricted from the 15th district. She previously served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing northern Polk from 2008 to 2012.
Kelli Stargel defended her seat against Bob Doyel in the general election for Florida State Senate District 22 on November 6,2018. [1]
On May 16,2022,she announced her candidacy for Florida's 15th congressional district. [2] She lost to Laurel Lee in the Republican primary.
Stargel was born in Tampa in 1966,and attended Land O' Lakes High School in Pasco County,graduating in 1984. She later attended Tallahassee Community College in 1991,though she did not graduate,and later worked as a property manager for her family's rental property. Stargel's family has a long history of involvement in the state's politics,with her great-great-great-grandfather,Aaron Jernigan (the namesake for Jernigan,the original name for Orlando),serving in the Florida House of Representatives briefly after statehood;her great-grandfather,James Lane,serving as the Sheriff of Sumter County from 1899 to 1911;and her husband,John K. Stargel,serving in the Florida House of Representatives from the 64th District from 2002 to 2006,and then as a Judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit. [3]
In 2008,when State Representative Dennis Ross was prevented seeking a fourth term due to term limits,Stargel ran to succeed him in the 64th District,which included Lakeland and Polk City in northern Polk County,which her husband had previously represented. She faced Jack English and Phillip Walker in the Republican primary,and campaigned on eliminating hundreds of exemptions to the state's sales tax and on solving education problems. The Ledger endorsed English over Stargel,however,criticizing her for a "troubling" list of campaign contributors that mostly consisted of donors who lived outside the district and praising English for his experience. [4] Ultimately,Stargel beat out both English and Walker to win her party's nomination,receiving 52% of the vote to English's 27% and Walker's 21%. Advancing to the general election,she faced only write-in opposition and won with 99% of the vote. When Stargel ran for re-election in 2010,she faced Carol Castagnero,the Democratic nominee and a perennial candidate,but Castagnero did not prove to be a significant obstacle for her,and she won re-election in a landslide with 64% of the vote.
When the state's legislative districts were redrawn in 2012,Stargel opted to run for the Florida Senate in the 15th District rather than seek re-election. She faced Auburndale Mayor Jack Myers and Ron Rushing in the Republican primary,but defeated them handily,winning 63% of the vote to Myers's 22% and Rushing's 14%. In the general election,Stargel squared off with Stego Blue,the Democratic nominee and a United States Navy veteran. The Orlando Sentinel reluctantly endorsed Stargel,whom they called "another reliable vote for her party's agenda" over Blue due to his "[lack of] basic knowledge of state issues," noting,"Voters don't have a better option in this race." [5] She ended up defeating Blue with ease,winning her first term in the Florida Senate with 58% of the vote.
During the 2014 legislative session,microbrewers lobbied the legislature to pass legislation to allow them to sell half-gallon containers of beer,which are illegal under state law. Stargel sponsored legislation that would have allowed the microbrewers to sell the half-gallon containers,but would "heavily redistrict the sale of virtually all craft beer sold by microbrewers" by requiring that they sell their product through a distributor. [6] She remarked,"In states where beer is unregulated,the per capita production is significantly higher. Higher beer production and higher consumption go hand-in-hand. As a social conservative,this is why I believe we need to keep regulations on alcoholic beverages in place and not have unregulated beer widely available in the marketplace. Social issues greatly impact economic issues,and we must seek a balance on both." [7]
Stargel's district was reconfigured and renumbered after court-ordered redistricting in 2016.
Virginia Brown-Waite is an American politician who served as U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Republican Party and a founder of Maggie's List.
Tom Lee is an American Republican politician from Florida. He represented parts of the Tampa area in the Florida Senate from 1996 to 2006,and again from 2012 to 2020. He served as Senate President from 2004 to 2006. He was the Republican nominee for Chief Financial Officer of Florida in 2006,but lost to Democratic nominee Alex Sink.
Florida's 15th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress and is located in the northeastern suburbs of Tampa,including parts of Hillsborough,Pasco,and Polk counties. The district includes Plant City and Zephyrhills,as well as parts of Tampa city proper,Brandon,and Lakeland.
Paula Dockery is an independent politician from the U.S. state of Florida. She served as a member of the Florida Senate for ten years,representing parts of Central Florida from 2002 to 2012 as a Republican. Previously,she served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing a Lakeland-based district from 1996 until her election to the Senate. In January 2017,she left the Republican Party and became an independent.
Seth McKeel was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014,representing the 63rd District from 2006 to 2012 and the 40th District,which included most of metropolitan Lakeland in Polk County,from 2012 to 2014.
Charles S. Dean Sr. is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate,representing the 5th District,which includes Baker,Citrus,Columbia,Dixie,Gilchrist,Lafayette,Levy,western Marion,Suwannee,and Union Counties in North Florida,from 2012 to 2016,previously representing the 3rd District from 2007 to 2012. Before winning election to the Senate,Dean served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 43rd District from 2002 to 2007.
Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party,who currently serves as a member of the Florida State Senate from the 15th district. She served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 44th District from 2018 to 2022. The district included Windermere,Winter Garden,Gotha,Lake Buena Vista,Oakland,parts of Ocoee,and the Dr. Phillips,Horizon West,and Williamsburg communities in Southwest Orange County,FL. The district contains Walt Disney World,Universal Studios Florida,SeaWorld,International Drive,and the Orange County Convention Center.
John K. Stargel is an American politician and judge in Florida.
Dorothy L. Hukill was an American politician who was a Republican member in the Florida Senate who represented parts of the Volusia County area from 2012 until her death in 2018. She represented the 14th district,encompassing southern Volusia and northern Brevard Counties,since 2016,after being redistricted from the 8th district,which included parts of Volusia,Lake,and Marion Counties. She also served in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 28th district in southern Volusia from 2004 to 2012.
Thad Altman is a Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of the Melbourne area in central Brevard County since 2016. Previously,he represented a similar area in the House from 2003 to 2008,and served in the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016.
Suzanne Kosmas is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th congressional district,serving one term from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives.
Darren Michael Soto is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Kissimmee,Florida,who is the U.S. representative for Florida's 9th district.
Denise Grimsley is a Republican member of the Florida State Senate,representing parts of Central and Southwest Florida since 2012. She has represented the 26th district,which includes Highlands,Okeechobee,Glades,DeSoto,Hardee,southern Polk,eastern Charlotte,and northern Lee Counties,since 2016,after being redistricted from the 21st district. She served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the Highlands County-based 77th district from 2004 to 2012.
David H. Simmons is a Republican politician from Florida. He represented parts of Greater Orlando in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2020,and in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008.
Ben Albritton is a Republican politician,current member of the Florida Senate and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 56th District,which includes DeSoto County,Hardee County,and southwestern Polk County,from 2012 to 2018. Albritton previously represented the 66th District from 2010 to 2012.
Linda Stewart is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate,representing the 13th district,which includes northeast and central Orange County,since 2016. She previously served one term in the Florida House of Representatives,representing central Orange County from 2012 to 2014.
Neil Combee is a Republican politician from Florida who represented parts of northern Polk County and northwestern Osceola County in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2017.
Colleen Burton is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 40th district from 2014 to 2022.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday,November 6,2018,to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida,one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices,including a gubernatorial election,other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections. The party primaries were held on August 28,2018.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on November 3,2020,to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from Florida,one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the U.S. Senate,and various state and local elections.