 She later attended Tallahassee Community College in 1991, though she did not graduate, and later worked as a property manager for her family's rental property.Stargel's family has a long history of involvement in the state's politics, with her great-great-great-grandfather, Aaron Jernigan (the namesake for Jernigan, the original name for Orlando), serving in the Florida House of Representatives briefly after statehood; her great-grandfather, James Lane, serving as the Sheriff of Sumter County from 1899 to 1911; and her husband, John K. Stargel, serving in the Florida House of Representatives from the 64th District from 2002 to 2006, and then as a Judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit.In 2008, when State Representative Dennis Ross was prevented seeking a fourth term due to term limits, Stargel ran to succeed him in the 64th District, which included Lakeland and Polk City in northern Polk County, which her husband had previously represented.