Background
Stargel was born in Tampa in 1966, and attended Land O" Lakes High School in Pasco County, graduating in 1984.
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.
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. When the state"s legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Stargel opted to run for the 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 " basic knowledge of state issues," noting, "Voters don"t have a better option in this race." She ended up defeating Blue with ease, winning her first term in the 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.
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.".
Member Achievement Academy Advisory Board, Commission Marriage & Family Support Initiatives. Member of USF Advisory Board, The Well of Central Florida, Republican Women's Club Lakeland.
Married John Stargel. 5 children.