Ralph Poppell
Ralph Poppell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 29th district | |
| In office November 5, 2002 – November 2, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Randy Ball |
| Succeeded by | Tom Goodson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 30, 1941 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Connie Poppell |
| Children | Tim, Tamra, Tyler, Doug |
| Education | United States Army Engineer School, Indian River Community College |
| Profession | Manufacturing |
Ralph Poppell (born April 30, 1941) is a Republican politician and businessman who served as a Representative in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010.
Early life and career
[edit]Poppell was born in Florida in 1941 and attended the United States Army Engineer School and Indian River Community College.[1] He operated a 600-acre citrus farm on the Treasure Coast for several decades, and purchased Float-On, a manufacturer of boat trailers, in 1985.[2]
Florida House of Representatives
[edit]In 2000, incumbent Republican State Representative Charlie Sembler was term-limited and could not seek re-election. Poppell ran to succeed him in the 80th District, which included parts of Indian River and St. Lucie counties.[3] He narrowly lost the primary, receiving 24 percent of the vote to Carole Jordan's 27 percent and Stan Mayfield's 26 percent,[4] who both proceeded to a runoff election.
Poppell ran for the State House again in 2002,[5] when State Representative Randy Ball, a Republican, was term-limited in District 29, which included parts of southern Brevard County and northern Indian River County.[6] Poppell ran to succeed him in the 29th District. He won the Republican primary over retired teacher Pat Harrison and real estate agent Billy Nelson,[7] receiving 45 percent of the vote to Harrison's 32 percent and Nelson's 22 percent.[8] In the general election, he faced nonprofit executive Chris Stagman, the Democratic nominee, and contractor Craig Chamberlin, the Libertarian nominee.[9] Poppell won by a wide margin, receiving 54 percent of the vote to Stagman's 42 percent and Chamberlin's 3 percent.[10]
Poppell was re-elected unopposed in 2004[11] and 2006.[12]
In 2008, Poppell was challenged by Democrat Wes McCarville, a United States Army veteran and University of Central Florida student who served as Vice Chair of the Brevard County Democratic Executive Committee.[13] Poppell defeated McCarville in a landslide, receiving 59 percent of the vote.[14]
Poppell was term-limited in 2010 and was succeeded by Republican Tom Goodson in the State House.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ralph Poppell". Florida House of Representatives. 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ↑ Kauffman, Chris (April 11, 1999). "Innovative boat-trailer manufacturer finds home in Vero Beach". The Stuart News. Stuart, Florida. p. B3. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Stephens, Henry A. (January 15, 2000). "Poppell joins race for District 80 state House seat". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A3. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "September 5, 2000 Primary Election - Republican Primary - Official Results - State Representative - District: 80". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 2000. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ↑ "Vero business owner files to run for office". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. April 21, 2002. p. 3B. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Stancil, Lamaur (March 7, 2002). "Boundaries may move for House district". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Bierschenk, Ed (September 11, 2002). "Poppell gets nod for District 29 seat". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A7. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "September 10, 2002 Primary Election - Republican Primary - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 2002. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ↑ Sellers, Laurin (October 28, 2002). "Issues take center stage in House District 29". Orlando Sentinel. p. B3. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "November 5, 2002 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 29". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 2002. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ↑ Torres, John A. (November 3, 2004). "Brevard votes to keep state representatives: Altman cites hurricane, pre-K issues as top challenges". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 11A. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ St. John, Paige (July 22, 2006). "5 legislators' races already decided". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 3A. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Turner, Jim (October 19, 2008). "State House District 29 race pits age versus youth". Indian River Press Journal. Vero Beach, Florida. p. A18. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "November 4, 2008 General Election - Official Results - State Representative - District: 80". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ↑ Turner, Jim (November 16, 2010). "State House District 29 race pits age versus youth". The Stuart News. Stuart, Florida. p. 5A. Retrieved August 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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