The Florida Republican Party voted on Sunday to strip Chairman Christian Ziegler of his legislative power and sharply curb his salary to a mere $1 following the emergence of rape allegations earlier this month.
A search warrant affidavit released in the case on Friday revealed that Ziegler and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, engaged "in a three-way sexual encounter more than a year before the incident." Right-wing group Moms for Liberty touts itself as a parental rights advocacy organization, pushes for staunchly conservative candidates to be elected on school boards, and opposes references to race and LGBTQ+ identity in the classroom, often openly calling for book bans.
Ziegler has denied the rape allegation. Politico reported that a video of the encounter obtained by a government accountability watchdog group that first broke the story appears to refute some of the claims made by the woman accusing Ziegler.
Politico reported that 39 executive board members from Florida's GOP gathered at a hotel in Orlando on Sunday, observing that they were irate that Ziegler, who had been facing calls to resign from top party leaders for weeks, had refused to step down, forcing them to congregate from across the state during the holidays and amid intense storms along the East Coast. During the meeting, which was less than two hours long, the board voted to decrease Ziegler's salary and suspend his reimbursements, which Politico reported were approximately $124,000 combined. The executive board also set a three-week countdown to formally expel him from his role, planning a vote in Tallahassee on January 8, 2024. Ziegler did not speak to reporters following the meeting.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on Ziegler to resign as state party chair.
"I don't see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations," DeSantis told reporters in Alpharetta, Georgia, after his Fox News debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. "And so I think that he should, I think he should step aside."
"He's innocent 'til proven guilty, but we just can't have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny," DeSantis added.
“You can’t morally lead the Republican Party forward,” Evan Power, vice chair of the Florida Republican Party, said of the Ziegler's allegations after leaving the meeting.
Two members of the GOP spoke to Politico anonymously about a recent report in Florida Politics in which Ziegler purportedly asked for a $2 million payout, saying that Ziegler called the payout a lie and asked those at the meeting to speak up about whether he had asked for money. Three people present for the meeting indicated that Ziegler said he couldn't share much about his police investigation because it was ongoing, but was confident he would not be charged. Earlier in the month, Ziegler's attorney Derek Byrd Byrd said Ziegler "has been fully cooperative with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department," adding that once the police department finishes its probe, he is "confident" they won't file charges and that "Ziegler will be completely exonerated."
Ziegler also allegedly attempted to defend himself by citing Florida Republicans who have faced criminal charges or accusations in the past, according to Bill Helmich, Madison County State committeeman.
Two executive board members who chose not to vote with the rest of the executive board affirmed the commentary. "When it’s that overwhelming against somebody, you don’t want to be the lone two or three people to pipe up,” one of them said. The other member noted that Ziegler was "red like he was ashamed," adding that though they wanted Ziegler to resign voluntarily, they felt he deserved the opportunity for the investigation to run its course. “I have gotten nothing done in three weeks because of this,” said another executive board member.
Vic Baker, an executive board member from Volusia County, said he urged the group to consider giving Ziegler a leave of absence until the investigation was finished. “I know Christian wanted to be able to clear his name of the criminal aspects of this,” Baker said. “It was clear from reading the room that he wasn’t going to be given that option.”
Politico reported that the accusations and Ziegler’s resistance, "have put state Republicans in a deeply awkward position. His refusal to step down has forced party members to deal with an ongoing embarrassment ahead of the 2024 elections — a time when members would rather be planning fundraising and strategy sessions instead of seeking ways to oust their party leader."
Bridget Ziegler last week refused to resign from the Sarasota School Board. DeSantis has the power to oust her but has yet to comment on her situation, with his office ignoring questions about it, Politico reported.
