Richard Stark (politician)

Richard Stark (born July 26, 1952) is a Democratic politician from Florida. He served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 104th District in southern Broward County, from 2012 to 2020.

Richard Stark
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 104th district
In office
November 6, 2012 – November 3, 2020
Preceded byRedistricted
Succeeded byRobin Bartleman
Personal details
Born (1952-07-26) July 26, 1952
New York City, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Debbi Stark
ChildrenJason, Lindsey
Alma materUniversity of Denver (B.A.)
ProfessionInsurance broker

History

Stark was born in New York City, New York, and attended the University of Denver, where he graduated with a degree in political science in 1974. After that, he moved to the state of Florida, where he worked as a private insurance agent, and for twelve years, lobbied the state and federal government to pass health care reform.[1] Stark is married to Debbi Stark whom is a professional paralegal.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of Florida House districts, Stark opted to run in the newly created 104th District, based in Broward County, including the cities of Pembroke Pines, Weston, Southwest Ranches and the Everglades Wildlife Management Area. In the Democratic primary, he faced Robin Behrman and Alanna Mersinger, and he campaigned on education reform, noting, "Of the people that are running in this race, I've spent almost the entire time as a private businessman but I do have an education background. I know what it's like to be on the education side. Education is really important to me."[2] Stark narrowly defeated both of his opponents, receiving 39% of the vote to Berhman's 32% and Mersinger's 29%. Advancing to the general election, Stark faced Douglas Harrison, a former prosecutor and the Republican nominee. Though Stark was praised by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel for his plan to "bolster public education, particularly the state's universities and their ability to offer scientific and technical programs to help the state's workforce," the paper endorsed Harrison, citing Stark's likelihood to be a "reliable Democratic vote."[3] In the end, Stark defeated Harrison in a landslide, winning 61% of the vote, and was sworn in later that year.

Stark was re-elected to his second term in the legislature in 2014 without opposition.

Stark endorsed Broward County School Board Member, Robin Bartleman, to succeed him in the Florida House. Bartleman won the Democratic Nomination against political newcomer Morey Wright and then the general election in November 2020 against George Navarini. House District 104 remains a Florida Democratic Party stronghold.

Stark was term-limited from the Florida House in 2020, after serving four terms. Stark attempted to run for Mayor of Weston, but lost in the general election to Margaret "Peggy" Brown, a well known Trump supporter and local GOP member even though Joe Biden won every polling place in Weston that election cycle.[4] Stark along with other local Democrat candidates lost big in the city elections, losing the mayoral race as well as two city commission seats. Stark in his mayoral run was endorsed by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and incumbent Weston City Commissioners Byron Jaffee, Tom Kallman, and Mary Molina-Macfie.

References
  1. Carney, Heather (October 2, 2012). "District 104 voters to choose between former prosecutor and insurance agent". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  2. Haughney, Kathleen (July 31, 2012). "Principal, activist and insurance agent vie for House District 104 spot". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  3. "State House Districts 99 and 104: Choose Schwartz and Harrison". Sun-Sentinel. October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  4. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/results/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.