Judge Joshua Hawkes dismissed Rep. Paula Stark's lawsuit seeking to be placed back on the ballot for House District 47. In an order issued after a July 8 hearing, Hawkes denied her request and ordered the clerk to close the file. He noted that Stark did not file a response; instead, she submitted a motion for reconsideration that was denied by a separate order. Stark's campaign missed the June 12 qualifying deadline. She said her treasurer, Joel Davis, submitted Form 6, a financial disclosure, but the clerk returned the form to him, so it was never filed. Several state employees said they never received or returned the form. Without Stark, no Republican challenger appears on the ballot; Democrats Jorge Figueroa and Anthony Nieves are running, which could flip the district that Stark won in 2022. Hawkes wrote that it is more likely Davis believed the form was unnecessary and did not submit it, rather than that staff returned it. He said the form was not filed before the noon deadline and that Stark did not demonstrate qualification. Stark, her attorney Anthony Sabatini and Florida Democrats did not respond to a request for comment.