Florida Democrats Intervene to Hold Paula Stark to the Same Rules as Every Candidate

Tallahassee, FL — Today, the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee moved to intervene in Republican Rep. Paula Stark’s lawsuit seeking to overturn her failure to qualify for the ballot in House District 47.

After years of missed filings, fines, and misspending, Paula Stark failed to properly qualify for reelection and is now asking for a taxpayer-funded do-over as she sues to reverse the consequences of her own campaign’s mistakes. In response, the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee is intervening in the lawsuit to ensure the rules are applied fairly and consistently to every candidate.

This is not the first time Stark has failed to comply with Florida’s campaign finance laws. During her previous campaign, Stark failed to file required state campaign finance reports for months, resulting in thousands of dollars in unpaid fines and the eventual termination of her political committee.

In response to this news, Nikki Fried, Chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, issued the following statement:

“Floridians work hard every day and follow the rules, but Republicans like Paula Stark think they’re above the law,”  said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Now, after hundreds of candidates throughout the state managed to file their paperwork on time to appear on the ballot, Paula Stark is wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit due to her own mistake while her constituents are being neglected. This is another reflection of the chaos and incompetence that defines Republican rule in Tallahassee and has led to an affordability crisis that is squeezing the budgets of working families and seniors across Florida.”

House District 47 is one of the most competitive legislative races in Florida, and Democrats are committed to ensuring the election proceeds according to the law and that every candidate is held to the same standard.

Background: Paula Stark’s Long Record of Paperwork and Compliance Problems

Paula Stark’s failure to qualify for HD 47 is just the latest in a pattern dating back to 2023 of missed filings, unpaid fines, and compliance failures tied to her and her campaign treasurer. Now she wants to drag the state into court to undo a deadline she missed on her own, forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for her failure.

Stark publicly claims responsibility rests with her, but her lawsuit tells a different story: it blames the state, arguing her Form 6 was accepted electronically the day before. The excuses are piling up and the story keeps changing but the receipts don’t:

2024 Suspended Legislative Expense Account

• In May 2024, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Stark’s legislative office expense account had been suspended after she failed to file timely, accurate reports, including no reports at all for six months in 2023. Her reports also allegedly included “unacceptable” descriptions for more than $7,000 in expenses with no receipts that were labelled as “temp.”
• Two former aides said they had warned Florida House staff about the account before they were terminated; one described the situation as “gross negligence” or potentially “the trappings of misappropriation of funds.”
• Reporting said Stark’s campaign manager and significant other, Joel Davis, had no official role in her legislative office. Despite that, former staff accused him of controlling the intradistrict expense account. Davis was later identified in coverage as Stark’s significant other and campaign treasurer. This is also the same person cited as the reason for a 2026 form to go missing when filing to qualify.

Political Committee Spending Questions

• In July 2024, Florida Politics reported that Stark had been “living large” off her political committee, Friends of Paula.
• The committee was reportedly run by Joel Davis, her significant other and campaign treasurer, Joel Davis, who held no official role in her legislative office. Coverage documented expensive meals and other spending while Stark represented one of the state’s most competitive districts. She held the seat that year with just 51% of the vote.
• Per the Orlando Sentinel’s reporting, the Friends of Paula committee paid for travel to the Republican National Convention and chartered a jet to meet Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and gave $1,880 to St. Cloud Main Street, the organization Stark runs in her day job. 
• Earlier Florida Politics reporting documented an $874 bill at a Kissimmee steakhouse and $1,650 in monthly rent for a Tallahassee “office” that was actually a private home. 

Political Committee Terminated Over Unpaid Fines

• In November 2025, Florida Politics reported that the state terminated Stark’s political committee, Friends of Paula. The committee reportedly owed more than $16,000 in unpaid fines, tied to late campaign finance reports. The unpaid fines stemmed from reporting issues dating back to 2023.
• As of mid-2024, the Sentinel reported Stark’s committee had been fined more than $23,000 for late reporting, and her taxpayer-funded House office account had been frozen since March over roughly $13,000 in irregularities.

2026 Stark failed to qualify for reelection in HD 47

• Stark missed the April 10, 2026 campaign finance deadline and was fined in May, months before she failed to qualify. Rather than pay down what she owed the state, the committee spent $953 at a St. Cloud auto repair shop while sitting on more than $16,000 in unpaid fines.
• In 2026, Stark missed the qualifying requirements to appear on the ballot.
• Stark claimed a required Form 6 Financial Disclosure, a document candidates must sign under penalty of perjury, was hand-delivered in Tallahassee but was allegedly returned to her campaign treasurer and significant other, Joel Davis.