SARASOTA, Fla. — A Florida faculty board voted on Tuesday to advocate the resignation of one in all its members as a result of she is embroiled within the fallout of a sexual assault investigation into her husband, the Republican Party state chairman.
The Sarasota County School Board can not straight take away Bridget Ziegler from the panel however voted 4-1 Tuesday for a decision requesting that she step down. The decision was authored by board Chair Karen Rose, who mentioned in an e mail that she is “shocked and deeply saddened” by the rape allegations involving Ziegler‘s husband, Christian Ziegler, and the couple’s admissions about having a three-way sexual encounter beforehand with the accuser.
“I personally care about Bridget and her family and deeply regret the necessity for this course of action, but given the intense media scrutiny locally and nationally, her continued presence on the Board would cause irreparably harmful distractions to our critical mission,” Rose wrote.
Bridget Ziegler is co-founder of the conservative Moms for Liberty group. She has served on the board since 2014, when she was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, and has beforehand been its chair. She voted towards the decision, saying she was “disappointed” however gave no indication she would step down. She remained on the board‘s dais after the vote.
Prior to the meeting, several dozen people marched outside carrying signs and chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Bridget Ziegler has got to go.” Among the signs’ slogans have been “Ban Bridget, not books” and “Real women aren’t homophobes.”
“Bridget Ziegler must apologize and resign,” mentioned Carol Lerner of Support Our Schools, a nonprofit group that helps public schooling. “The Zieglers are through and through grifters.”
Board member Tim Enos mentioned it’s as much as Bridget Ziegler to determine whether or not to stop. Only Florida’s governor can take away a college board member, and solely underneath sure situations, reminiscent of a legal cost.
“If she continues and doesn’t resign and stays, we have an obligation that we all need to be focused on education,” Enos mentioned. “The politics have to get outside the boardroom. It should be only about the kids.”
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating a girl’s accusation that Christian Ziegler raped her at her condo in October. Police paperwork say the Zieglers and the girl had deliberate a sexual threesome that day, however Bridget Ziegler was unable to make it. The accuser says Christian Ziegler arrived anyway and assaulted her, based on the paperwork.
Christian Ziegler has not been charged with any crime and maintains his innocence, contending the encounter was consensual. Scott, now a U.S. senator, Gov. Ron DeSantis and different Florida Republicans have referred to as on him to step down as GOP chair, however he has refused to take action.
In a latest message to Florida Republicans, Christian Ziegler mentioned he would stay as chair “because we have a country to save and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up.”
Christian Ziegler‘s lawyer, Derek Byrd, said in an email Monday that he is “hoping (the) investigation is closed soon.” A Sarasota Police Department spokesperson said there is no timetable for the probe to conclude.
Bridget Ziegler has long been active in conservative politics. She was a champion of the DeSantis-backed law known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay,” which restricts instructing of sexual and gender materials in early faculty grades. Moms for Liberty, which she co-founded in 2021, goals to inject extra conservative viewpoints into colleges, prohibit transgender rights, battle pandemic masks mandates and take away books the group objects to from faculty school rooms and libraries.
In addition, DeSantis appointed Bridget Ziegler to the brand new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District that oversees Walt Disney World’s operations. That panel – which changed one managed by Disney – was created by the Legislature at DeSantis’ request after Disney objected to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. The board at present is the topic of state and federal lawsuits over management of the massive theme park outdoors Orlando.
Democrats and different critics say the Zieglers are hypocritical as a result of the alleged sexual actions are fully at odds with the conservative views they push on others, significantly LGBTQ individuals.
“The Zieglers have made a habit out of attacking anything they perceive as going against ‘family values,’ be it reproductive rights or the existence of LGBTQ+ Floridians,” state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried mentioned in a press release. “The level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning.”
The state GOP has referred to as a gathering for Sunday in Orlando to debate Christian Ziegler‘s future as social gathering chair.
