Could a sex scandal force Moms for Liberty cofounder off school board? What we know.
A Florida school board has formally called for prominent Republican Bridget Ziegler to resign from her seat after a sex scandal involving her husband.
All of Ziegler's colleagues on the Sarasota County School Board, covering the Gulf Coast district south of Tampa, voted Tuesday in favor of a non-binding resolution calling for her resignation.
Bridget Ziegler's husband and Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler was recently accused of sexual battery by a woman with whom the Zieglers previously had a consensual threesome.
Public comment at the school board meeting went on for hours, as some people applauded her stoicism but many pushed her to resign. Those advocating for her resignation pointed out the irony of her anti-LGBTQ policy objectives in light of the details of her relationship that became public in the sexual battery investigation.
Bridget Ziegler has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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Did Bridget Ziegler resign?
No, nor did she give any indication she intends to.
At Tuesday's meeting, she said, "You know, I am disappointed. As people may know, I serve on another public board and this issue did not come up and we were able to forge ahead with the business of the board," referring to her governor-appointed position on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
While the school board passed a resolution calling for her to resign, it does not hold power to be enforced. The board's legal counsel Patrick Duggan called the resolution "ceremonial in nature," as the board does not have the authority to remove a member.
Should she leave her seat before her term is over in 2026, she would have to do so voluntarily or by direction of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis has previously endorsed Bridget Ziegler for her school board re-election as part of his efforts to bring conservative ideals to Florida's schools.
Who is Bridget Ziegler?
Bridget Anne Ziegler, 41, and her husband Christian Ziegler, 40, are considered a Republican power couple in Florida.
Bridget Ziegler was appointed to the Sarasota County School Board by former republican governor Rick Scott in 2014 before winning a four-year term later that year. For years, she was one of few conservatives on the board.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she advocated to drop mask mandates and banded with other conservative Florida school board members to form the national right-wing activist group Moms for Liberty.
Moms for Liberty calls itself nonpartisan, but aims to advance the conservative "parental rights" movement. The organization has been involved in getting conservatives on school boards and passing book bans and policies that restrict transgender rights.
Critics have called Moms for Liberty positions bigoted, homophobic, and racist fear-mongering. In June this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled the group extremist and anti-government.
Ziegler stood behind DeSantis when he signed the "Don't Say Gay" law.
Bridget Ziegler's husband accused of sexual battery
A woman has accused Christian Ziegler of sexual battery after a planned threesome with Bridget, Christian and the victim fell through, according to police records.
Bridget Ziegler confirmed in police interviews that the three of them had a sexual encounter in the past.
"The victim and Christian Ziegler agreed to have a sexual encounter that included Christian's wife Bridget Ziegler," according to the affidavit.
When Christian Ziegler told the victim he would be coming alone, she responded "'Sorry I was mostly in for her' referring to Bridget," according to the affidavit.
Records show that he showed up at the victim's apartment anyways on Oct. 2. The victim said that once inside, he sexually assaulted her. No charges have been filed against Christian Ziegler.
He said the encounter was consensual. "Mr. Ziegler has been fully cooperative with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department," Ziegler's attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement. "We are confident that once the police investigation is concluded that no charges will be filed and Mr. Ziegler will be completely exonerated."
DeSantis has called on Christian Ziegler to resign. The Republican Party of Florida's executive board is scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss his fate. Florida GOP leaders say the votes are there to end Ziegler's tenure as chair.
Who is Christian Ziegler?
Christian Ziegler has been working to advance conservative ideals for more than a decade.
Ziegler was elected GOP state committeeman for Sarasota County in 2012 and ran for Florida GOP chair in 2016 but lost to the incumbent. In 2018 Ziegler was elected to the Sarasota County Commission and became vice-chair of the Florida GOP before winning the chairman seat this year.
He has been a supporter of both DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. He attended the Trump rally in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, but did not participate in the Capitol riot that followed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bridget, Christian Ziegler's 3 way leading to calls for resignations
