Senator Gayle Harrell Contact information

Gayle Harrell was born on July 21, 1943, in Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Florida, where she attended the University of Florida. She graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, and again in 1971, with a master’s degree in Latin American studies and history. After graduation, she worked as a technology consultant on health information.

Harrell is a member of the Florida State Senate. A Republican, she is a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 83rd District, which includes Port St. Lucie and Stuart in northern Martin County and southern St. Lucie County, from 2012 to 2018. Harrell previously represented the 81st District from 2000 to 2008 and again from 2010 to 2012.

In 2000, incumbent State Representative Ken Pruitt successfully ran for a seat in the Florida Senate rather than seek re-election, which created an open seat in the 81st District, which included parts of Martin County and St. Lucie County. Harrell ran to succeed Pruitt and defeated Genny Jackson in the Republican primary with 68% of the vote, advancing to the general election, where she faced Walter Sawyer, the Democratic nominee, whom she was able to defeat easily, winning 59% of the vote to his 41%.

She ran for re-election in 2002 and faced only Libertarian candidate John Roszman. Harrell defeated Roszman overwhelmingly, scoring 76% of the vote to his 24%. She was challenged in the Republican primary in 2004 by Charles Winn, but she turned back the challenge easily, winning renomination with 75% of the vote. In the general election, she won nearly 100% of the vote, only facing opposition from write-in candidate Robert Lilley.

She met a serious challenge to her re-election in 2006, when Bill Ramos, a mortgage broker, and the Democratic nominee, campaigned on “eliminating unfunded mandates from the state to the local level.” During the campaign, Ramos was endorsed over Harrell by The Palm Beach Post, which criticized Harrell for “too obediently” voting the party line and for having “so little clout in Tallahassee that she can’t protect her well-intentioned legislation from harmful amendments.” Ultimately, however, the conservative nature of the district proved too much for Ramos to overcome.

Harrell has over 25 years of experience in healthcare. She worked as a Healthcare Administrator, managing the Ob-Gyn. practice of Dr. James E. Harrell and was the founder of the Breast Imaging Center, a mammography center specializing in preventive care for women. Her experience in healthcare has made her a leader in setting healthcare policy for the State of Florida.

A resident of Florida’s Treasure Coast for over 49 years, Senator Harrell is committed to serving our community having served on the boards of many local civic organizations such as Hibiscus Children’s Center, Education Foundation of Martin County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties, HPS – Helping People Succeed and advisory board member of Center for Constitutional Values. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and a Master’s Degree in Latin American History from the University of Florida where she received the Edith Bristol Tigert award as an Outstanding Female Graduate and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Gayle was married to Dr. James Harrell (deceased) for 53 years, has four children and eight grandchildren, and is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Stuart.