St. Cloud Main Street Executive Director Paula Stark files to run for new Florida House District 47

Paula Stark, Executive Director with St. Cloud Main Street, has filed to run for the Republican nomination for the new Florida House District 47.  

Stark, who lives in St. Cloud, shared this in a recent news release after filing earlier in June “I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve my community locally for over 40 years, and I look forward to continuing to serve my community in Tallahassee.”  

Stark is a graduate of Osceola High School (where she was voted as Miss Osceola her Senior year) and attended Florida Technological University now known as UCF.  She went on to work as Sales Director and then Publisher with the Osceola News Gazette. After retiring from the Gazette in 2012, Stark set out to follow a long-time dream and began concentrating on her children’s book series.  

This proved to be short-lived when the position of director of St. Cloud Main Street became unexpectedly available,  Stark stepped in “temporarily” and has been there ever since.   

Stark says she believes that growth management, transportation, school funding and low wage jobs are the top concerns in the district. “Just by driving around Osceola County every day, we can all see that our roads are overcrowded and every year they only get worse,” said Stark. “I understand why so many people want to live in Florida with the great weather year around and no state income tax, but we have to do a better job of planning for the roads and other transportation infrastructure that we need to keep up with the growth we experience and to court new business to locate here.”  

Stark currently serves on the City of St. Cloud Economic Advisory Council, the City Historic Preservation Board, and the Economic Stimulus Grant Committee. 

In closing Stark said, “I won’t try to convince you that I have all the answers, I’m sure I don’t even know all the questions yet, but, I will promise you that no-one will out work me to understand the issues from every angle and to use the knowledge I have obtained from my community experience and information that I obtain to vote my conscience.”