In the News
ICYMI: Republican House Member Paula Stark Has Legislative Accounts Suspended for Missing and “Unacceptable” Reports
Yesterday, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Florida House Rep. Paula Stark, a Republican from St. Cloud, has had her legislative office expense account suspended due to a failure to file timely and accurate reports.
The Sentinel also reported potential issues with Rep. Stark’s campaign manager, Joel Davis, who has no official role with the district office but is accused of controlling the intradistrict expense account.
A former aide called the issues with the expense account “either gross negligence or at worst…misappropriation of funds.”
Read the full story here: Central Florida legislator failed to file state expense reports for months
KEY EXCERPTS:
– “Republican State Rep. Paula Stark of St. Cloud provided “unacceptable” descriptions on reports listing expenses totaling more than $7,000 and did not file reports for six months last year, according to an email from a legislative staffer sent to Stark in March.”
– “Two former aides to Stark say they alerted Florida House staff members to issues with her office account earlier this year. Both were later fired. “
– ‘I was becoming very uncomfortable because it appeared to be either gross negligence or at worst it appeared to have all of the trappings of misappropriation of funds,’ said J.D. Widhalm, who served as Stark’s legislative aide from September 2023 to late March 2024.”
