‘Sex Scandal’ Allegations Threaten to Oust Florida GOP Chairman as Wife Refuses to Step Down From School Board

Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler speaks at the Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee, Fla. on Nov. 4, 2023 Republican Party of Florida via Rumble/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Christian Ziegler, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), faces a potential ouster on Dec. 17 as state GOP officials convene in Orlando to decide on his fate.

The Sarasota Police Department (SPD) is investigating Mr. Ziegler after a woman accused the former Sarasota County commissioner of rape. Mr. Ziegler denied the allegation and contended that their relationship was consensual.

The SPD released a search warrant affidavit that describes details of the alleged encounter. The anonymous woman said that Mr. Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, had planned to meet with her on Oct. 2 for a sexual encounter, but Mrs. Ziegler was allegedly unavailable that day, the woman said.

The woman told detectives that she canceled with Mr. Ziegler when she learned Mrs. Ziegler would not be present and that the three of them had had a previous sexual encounter a year prior.

She accused Mr. Ziegler of forcing his way into her apartment when she opened the door to walk her dog, according to the affidavit. She said she had been drinking tequila all day and was “not in a place to consent” to a sexual encounter with Mr. Ziegler. She said she has known Mr. Ziegler for 20 years.

When detectives interviewed Mrs. Ziegler, she admitted to knowing the woman and confirmed the three had a sexual encounter a year prior, but that it only happened once.

Mr. Ziegler told detectives that he recorded the encounter, leading to a search warrant for his digital devices and cloud storage.

Mr. Ziegler has not been charged with any crimes, nor has his wife, Mrs. Ziegler.

FL GOP’s Resounding Calls for Resignation

Top Florida GOP officials are calling for his resignation.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on Mr. Ziegler to step down and said in a previous statement that the “mission is more important” as the RPOF “just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny.”

Mr. DeSantis was joined by Florida’s former governor, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla), in calling for Mr. Ziegler’s resignation from party chair.

Mr. Scott described the allegations as “very disturbing” in a written statement.

One of Mr. Ziegler’s long-time allies is Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla) of Florida’s 16th Congressional District, which prior to 2017 included portions of Sarasota County. Mr. Ziegler was Mr. Buchanan’s intern during the latter’s initial congressional campaign in 2006 and worked for Mr. Buchanan as a staffer for three years.

Despite supporting Mr. Ziegler’s rise in Florida politics, Mr. Buchanan was the first U.S. House Representative to call for the RPOF Chair’s resignation.

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) (C) is joined by Republican members of the House while talking to reporters outside the White House West Wing in Washington on March 26, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Christian should voluntarily step down before the executive committee takes action against him,” Mr. Buchanan said in a statement. “His position as party leader is no longer tenable given what has transpired.”

In a written statement, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo echoed Mr. DeSantis and said, “I agree with his position. The allegations are serious and will require Chair Ziegler’s full attention.”

Florida House Speaker Paul Renner is also calling for Mr. Ziegler’s resignation.

“It is untenable for Christian Ziegler to continue as Chairman of RPOF, and I recommend he resign his post. The serious allegations at issue require his full attention, and we need someone who can provide the singular focus the party needs,” he told The Epoch Times.

GOP officials are skeptical of Mr. Ziegler resigning of his own accord, especially after he spoke at a Moms for Liberty media training center in July and said, “Never apologize ever … I think apologizing makes you weak.”

Seeking a Monetary ‘Buyout’

Lee County Republican Chair Michael Thompson told The Epoch Times that he is not convinced Mr. Ziegler will get ousted at the emergency meeting in Orlando this weekend.

“Not on Sunday, more than likely when I call for the member-called Special Meeting of the entire Florida GOP, which will likely happen Mon. Jan. 8, 2024,” Mr. Thompson said.

However, Mr. Thompson said that a source from the Florida GOP told him that Mr. Ziegler was seeking a monetary “buyout” for him to step down from the RPOF Chair, upwards to $2 million. Mr. Thompson said he and other GOP officials are “Not even considering it.”

Mr. Ziegler adamantly denied ever requesting a buyout from the RPOF, and his attorney, Derek Byrd, said he is confident that Mr. Ziegler will be exonerated when the investigation comes to a close.

School Board‘ Drama’

His wife, Mrs. Ziegler, faced a resolution on Dec. 12 calling for her voluntary resignation from the Sarasota County School Board (SCSB).

Sarasota County School Board members Tom Edwards and Bridget Ziegler are seen at a board meeting on Dec. 12, 2023. Sarasota County School Board/Screenshot via Youtube

School Board Chair Karen Rose drafted the ceremonial resolution that called for Mrs. Ziegler to “Take all steps necessary to voluntarily resign her position as [the] school board member representing district one of the School Board of Sarasota County, Florida.”

“For me, as chair of the school board, it is not about the left, it is not about the right, it’s about students … My commitment to this community is high-quality schools, and that is not going to change,” Ms. Rose said ahead of the vote.

All four school board members besides Mrs. Ziegler voted unanimously to call for her resignation, garnering applause from the meeting’s small audience. Mrs. Ziegler said the ceremonial measure has “no teeth” and refused to step down.

Tom Edwards, the sole Democrat on the SCSB, said he is not interested in “drama around Mrs. Ziegler” and that there are “two sides to this story.”

Nonetheless, Mr. Edwards reiterated his desire for Mrs. Ziegler to resign.

“My position has been regarding this topic, that this is the distraction de jour in a long list of distractions that have kept the board drama focused instead of student-centric focused. I have worked with legal counsel to draft a letter that I will share with everybody here that would be sent to the governor,” he said.

The Road Ahead

As governor, Mr. DeSantis is the only person who can forcibly remove Mrs. Ziegler from her school board position.

The Epoch Times asked the governor if he plans to remove Mrs. Ziegler from the SCSB but did not receive a response prior to publication.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during a campaign event at Refuge City Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Oct. 8, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Mr. DeSantis placed Mrs. Ziegler on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) that oversees the Disney World properties after he dissolved the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District that was formerly controlled by Disney.

The CFTOD did not respond to requests for comment.

The SCSB opened the meeting to public comment after voting in favor of the resolution calling for her resignation from the board.

Martin Hyde, a former Republican congressional candidate who famously suggested he would kill FBI agents if they ever tried to search his home, defended Mrs. Ziegler and called the four other board members “hypocrites” for hosting the public meeting.

Joyce Peralta, a Sarasota resident, aimed accusations of hypocrisy at Mrs. Ziegler instead.

“Bridget Ziegler must resign now. Like the Wizard of Oz, the curtain has been pulled back on Bridget Ziegler. While claiming she was fighting for family values, it is now evident that Bridget and her husband Christian were fighting culture wars for the couple to gain power and money,” Ms. Peralta said.

She added, “Your children deserve privacy that will only be obtained when you and your husband remove yourself from the public positions that amplify your hypocrisy … The distractions led by Bridget Ziegler must stop now.”

Mrs. Ziegler co-founded Moms For Liberty, but left in 2021. The group is an outspoken critic of the LGBT community and has pushed to limit discussions of sexual orientation in elementary schools.

People and members of the Moms For Liberty association, attend a campaign event for Jacqueline Rosario, to be reelected as a member of the school board for District 2, in Vero Beach, Florida, on Oct. 16, 2022. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

Moms For Liberty reiterated Mrs. Ziegler’s exit from the group in 2021 in a written statement.

“We have been truly shaken to read of the serious, criminal allegations against Christian Ziegler. We believe any allegation of sexual assault should be taken seriously and fully investigated,” said Moms For Liberty co-founders, Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice.

“Bridget Ziegler resigned from her role as co-founder with Moms for Liberty within a month of our launch in January of 2021, nearly three years ago. She has remained an avid warrior for parental rights across the country.

“To our opponents who have spewed hateful vitriol over the last several days: We reject your attacks. We will continue to empower all parents to build relationships that ensure the survival of our nation and a thriving education system. We are laser-focused on fundamental parental rights, and that mission is and always will be bigger than any one person.”

Mrs. Ziegler did not respond to requests for comment.

Mrs. Ziegler was last elected to the SCSB in August 2022, and her term lasts until 2026 unless she is removed by the governor or voluntarily resigns.