Palm Beach Patti
Public records raise questions about a Calvert County candidate’s homestead tax credit, voter registration address, business filings, and pandemic-relief loans.
In politics, you are what your public records say you are. And for most of us, the images we use for social media profiles say a lot about how we want others to us.
Patti Stueckler is running for Calvert County Commissioner At-Large on a populist, “local values” message aimed at working families in a county that prides itself on rural heritage, civic tradition, and civil political discourse. But public records—including state tax records, voter registration data, business filings, and public statements—raise questions about whether that campaign image matches the record.
The records point to four issues voters may reasonably ask her to explain: a homestead tax credit tied to a property promoted as a short-term rental, voter registration at a different address, corporate entities that fell out of good standing, and forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans received during a strong period for real estate and short-term rentals.
Here is what the public record shows—and the questions it raises.
1. The Homestead Question: Tax Breaks on a Short-Term Rental?
The first issue is straightforward: which property is the Stuecklers’ principal residence?
In Maryland, the Homestead Tax Credit caps property tax assessment increases for a homeowner’s principal residence. The key limitation is that the credit is intended for the place where the homeowner actually lives as their primary home.
According to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Patti and John Stueckler claim 3838 2nd Street in North Beach as their principal residence. John Stueckler bought the property out of foreclosure in 2017 for about $157,000. Soon after, Patti publicly described the project on Facebook and YouTube as a restoration intended to create an Airbnb beach rental.
State tax records show the deed for 3838 2nd Street moved among Stueckler-related entities for $0.00 before Patti and John Stueckler applied for a Homestead Tax Credit in December 2020.
Maryland law allows the state to recapture improperly received homestead benefits. If a credit is claimed willfully on a property that is not eligible, additional penalties may apply. That makes the core question important: was 3838 2nd Street ever the Stuecklers’ true principal residence?
Here’s what the simple two-page Homestead Tax Credit form asks five in simple yes or no questions.
There’s no penalty for having the application denied, but checking “yes” when you know it’s “no” and vis versa is potentially a much bigger deal. In fact, even applying for a Homestead Tax Credit, knowing that it won’t be a principal residence, can be a crime as is abundantly clear on the bottom of the application (highlights added):
I’m not alleging any laws were broken, that’s a matter for the state and county. But it seems a legitimate question for voters to ask Patti Stueckler, a Realtor who has helped buy and sell hundreds of homes – plus a few of her own - if she knew and followed the law when she and her husband applied for a homestead exemption for their rental property.
The central question remains: was 3838 2nd Street ever Patti and John Stueckler’s principal residence?
Key timeline for 3838 2nd Street:
August 2, 2017 – John Stueckler, Patti’s husband, buys the house for $157,500 (SDAT)
August 17, 2017 – Patti Stueckler posts the first of more than 17 YouTube videos on their restoration of 3838 2nd St.
The series description reads, “Beach House Fixer Upper - From Foreclosure to Fabulous! This series takes you through the Stueckler family’s rehab project in North Beach, Maryland. John & Patti Stueckler purchase a foreclosure in 2017, totally renovating into a fabulously updated Airbnb.
April 5, 2018 – Patti Stueckler in YouTube announces an April 12 “open house” for 3838 2nd St and in video says they just had their first rental the previous week.
April 11, 2018 – Patti Stueckler advertises an open
April 16, 2018 – John Stueckler sells 3838 2nd for $0.0 to Stueckler Enterprises, LLC
July 28, 2020 – Stueckler Enterprises, LLC sells 3838 2nd for $0.0 to John and Patti Stueckler. Current deed clearly marked Use: RESIDENTIAL, Principal Residence: YES
August 27, 2020 – Stueckler announces the ground breaking of their new home and office:
January 28, 2021 – Patti and John announce in a YouTube live video they are getting ready to build a new home and office at 8832 Bay Avenue in North Beach.
Streaming live, Patti interrupts John 30 seconds when he says they’re “getting ready to build a project with an office and a residence above it.” She walks back what John says, “right here on the waterfront you can’t do just a residence at least not anymore, so now you have to do mixed use.”
According to the Stuecklers themselves, 3838 2nd Street is and was from the start a short term rental property since 2018 as Patti says in a YouTube series she made titled “Beach House Fixer Upper” documenting the renovation of the property for use as short-term rentals and in numerous Facebook posts.
The home is listed on Airbnb as “The North Beach Retreat House” and rents for $2,095 for five nights.
Where did they reside between 2018 and today and what were the exact dates in each residence?
State tax records indicate the Stueckler’s claim the 3838 2nd Street Airbnb as their principal residence. Yet publicly available records, dozens of Stueckler’s Facebook posts, numerous comments and interviews, voter registration and perhaps her candidacy record indicate that in the fall of 2021 the couple moved into the “Stueckler Building,” a three-story waterfront mixed-use property at 8832 Bay Avenue, assessed at more than $1.2 million.
So, which address should be treated as their principal residence for tax purposes and voter registrations?
2. The Voter Registration Question
Maryland voters are required to register at their legal residence. That makes the Stuecklers’ voter registration relevant to the homestead question.
According to Maryland State Board of Elections records, Patti and John Stueckler are actively registered to vote using 8832 Bay Ave #383 in North Beach as their residential address.
Question four on the Homestead Tax form asks:
This puts the candidate in a pickle:
If 8832 Bay Avenue is their legal residence, as reflected in voter registration records, then the homestead credit on 3838 2nd Street deserves scrutiny.
If 3838 2nd Street is their legal residence (as they claim to the tax office), then they are improperly registered to vote at a commercial address.
Both claims may have an explanation. But they cannot simply be waved away. A candidate asking voters for public trust should be able to clearly explain which address is her principal residence and why the public records appear to point in different directions.
3. A Tangled Web of LLCs
A candidate asking to help oversee Calvert County’s budget should be prepared to explain her own business filings. State records show several Stueckler-related LLCs, including entities listed as not in good standing or forfeited for apparent filing failures.
The issue is not the mere existence of multiple LLCs. Real estate professionals often use separate entities for liability, financing, and property-management purposes. The issue is whether those entities were properly maintained while Stueckler was presenting herself as a responsible steward of public business.
In a telling move, just days before launching her campaign for County Commissioner in February 2026, Patti rushed to file four years’ worth of taxes and missing reports (2023–2026) to reinstate Bay Avenue Development, LLC. Cleaning up years of corporate negligence only when it becomes politically convenient is not the hallmark of responsible leadership.
4. The Authenticity Problem
Stueckler’s campaign message leans heavily on “Calvert County values” and a populist posture. At the same time, her public social media presence includes first-class flights, luxury travel, black-tie events in Palm Beach, and photos from elite settings. Under one photo, she commented, “We love Mar-a-Lago!”
Another issue worth scrutiny is the two Paycheck Protection Program loans received by Stueckler Enterprises, LLC. Public loan data show the loans were later forgiven at a total taxpayer cost of $166,673.46. Voters may reasonably ask why the company sought pandemic-relief funds in 2020 and 2021 while Team Stueckler appeared to be doing strong business, short-term rentals (like a beachfront Airbnb) were in high demand, and the couple was building a new waterfront home and office. One loan record also listed the business age as “New Business or 2 years or less,” despite the LLC being organized in 2007.
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, building a successful business, or enjoying luxury travel. The issue is authenticity and accountability. A candidate cannot campaign as a champion of working families while leaving unanswered questions about tax benefits, voter registration, corporate compliance, and forgiven taxpayer-backed loans. Calvert County deserves leaders whose public platforms match their private practices and voters deserve clear answers before Election Day.