SARASOTA, Fla. — Calls for Bridget Ziegler to resign from the school board of Sarasota County have intensified amid admission to an "alternative lifestyle" in police records detailing sexual assault claims against her husband.
Several power brokers within the ranks of Florida's Republican party have also called for Christian Ziegler to step aside from his public position in light of the investigation.
Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition on MoveOn.org calling for Bridget Ziegler to step down from the school board. The group, Support Our Schools, and more than a dozen public school and community advocacy groups plan to rally at the school district premises ahead of the 6 p.m. Tuesday school board meeting.
"Support Our Schools demands that Bridget Zeigler apologize to the Sarasota community for her many years of vilification of teachers and students, especially those of the LGBTQ+ community. Immediately after this apology, Zeigler must resign her school board seat to allow the community to begin the process of healing and moving forward to ensure a quality and respectful public education for all students in Sarasota schools," read a statement from Lisa Schurr of Support Our Schools.
"A heartfelt, compassionate apology, complete with accountability, acknowledgment, remorse, and regret," parts of the statement read.
At the meeting, the Ziegler scandal is top on the agenda and expected to be addressed. At least two school board members including the chair, Karen Rose, a known ally of Ziegler's, have openly called for her resignation. The board will also consider a resolution asking Bridget Ziegler to resign from the board voluntarily.
The statement from Karen Rose reads:
"Our community has been rocked by the disturbing revelations surrounding my fellow School Board member Bridget Ziegler and the criminal allegations against her husband, Christian Ziegler. I am shocked and deeply saddened by the conduct and deplore the salacious news coverage. But my first responsibility is to the Sarasota County School District.
"So for the good of our students, teachers, staff, and community, I will be calling on Mrs. Ziegler to step down from her position on the School Board. I am asking our Superintendent to place this item on the agenda for our next meeting, Tuesday, December 12, where I will make a motion that the Board approve a resolution asking Mrs. Ziegler to step down.
"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."
Lone liberal board member Tom Edwards, who has found himself in many conflicts with Bridget Ziegler, said he is in support of Rose's statement, as well as the resolution for her resignation.
"By association, Mrs. Ziegler is involved in the scandal and the escapade, and so I called for her resignation because it's just another distraction in a long list of distractions that my colleague has brought to the School Board," Edwards said.
"Overall, whether it's parents or constituents, I think people are frustrated with the distraction. Many are angry because it has been a constant distraction with this board since they've been seated.
"But, I really am grateful for them joining in for this call and for hopefully Mrs. Zeigler's resignation so that we can once again focus where our focus needs to be and help our brand new superintendent. I think it should be a learning lesson for our students to understand the importance of elected officials and their integrity, and their ability to be a good or bad role model," he continued.
Conni Brunni, a spokesperson with the Sarasota chapter of the conservative group Moms For Liberty — one cofounded by Bridget Ziegler, said they would be standing by her pending the outcome of the investigation.
"We have a very appropriate police department they have not charged anything they have not even completed their investigation, so why the rush to judgment why it smells like a political hack, and I don't like that," Brunni said. "It is uncomfortable I'm not OK with alternate lifestyles in general.
"I am a conservative personally not on behalf of Moms For Liberty, but I'm not calling for anyone's resignation and certainly have been very concerned about the hurry. Hurry, hurry, rush to judgment.
"Bridget Ziegler has always been and still is a champion for parental rights. What goes on in her bedroom is none of my business," she said.
On Nov. 30, reports surfaced that Christian Ziegler, who was also a former Sarasota County commissioner and now chairs the Florida Republican Party, was facing a criminal investigation after a woman alleged he raped her.
The heavily redacted police case report filed on Oct. 4 confirmed the probe and detailed that the alleged rape incident had occurred two days earlier, on Oct. 2. Most of the narrative and names of people involved were blacked out in that report, but words that appear in the report include "raped...stated that...had been sexually battered...the sexual assault allegation."
The Florida Center for Government Accountability first reported on the allegations against Ziegler. It said, citing unnamed sources, that the couple "had been involved in a longstanding consensual three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident." The alleged rape happened when Christian Ziegler and the woman were home alone at the woman's house, the outlet reported.
Derek Byrd, a lawyer representing Christian Ziegler, told 10 Tampa Bay in a statement that his client is cooperating with Sarasota police and the team is "confident...that no charges will be filed."
"Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded," Byrd said. "Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler or myself can say at this time."
The Republican Party of Sarasota County said it is "shocked and disappointed" following the reports involving the Zieglers, adding: "The Republican Party takes all such allegations of potential criminal conduct very seriously and will fully cooperate with investigators."
In his most recent statement, RPOSC chair, Jack Brill, has now joined the call for Christian Ziegler to resign from the state GOP citing in addition "moral failings outside of the criminal allegations."
A spokesperson for the Sarasota Police said the investigation is still ongoing and would not provide any update.
Derek Byrd, a lawyer representing Christian Ziegler, told 10 Tampa Bay in an earlier statement that his client is cooperating with Sarasota police and the team is "confident...that no charges will be filed."
"Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded," Byrd said. "Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler or myself can say at this time."