Kelli Stargel
| Kelli Stargel | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 22nd district 15th (2012-2016) |
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Assumed office November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Paula Dockery |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 64th district |
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In office November 4, 2008 – November 6, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Dennis Ross |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 23, 1966 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | John K. Stargel |
| Profession | Property manager |
| Religion | Baptist |
Kelli Stargel (born March 23, 1966) is a Republican member of the Florida State Senate, representing the Lakeland area since 2012. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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