The former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) was cleared in a police investigation over rape allegations 11 days after party officials voted to oust him from leadership.
The Sarasota Police Department (SPD) is asking the Sarasota County State Attorney’s Office to prosecute Christian Ziegler for illegally recording the sexual encounter he had with the woman who accused him of raping her on Oct. 2, 2023.
In a news release on Jan. 19, the SPD said the video in question showed that the encounter was “likely consensual” between Mr. Ziegler and his accuser, preventing detectives from charging him with sexual battery.
The SPD said they interviewed the woman again and showed her the video recording of the encounter. She said she did not consent to being filmed by Mr. Ziegler.
Investigators prepared a probable cause affidavit for video voyeurism against Mr. Ziegler on Jan. 19, which is a third-degree felony in Florida and carries up to a five-year prison sentence.
“Since day one, we have been confident Mr. Ziegler would be exonerated from these baseless allegations. He has been completely honest, forthright, and has been fully cooperative with law enforcement at every stage of this investigation,” Mr. Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement.
“While we are disappointed that the Sarasota Police Department ‘punted’ the decision on the remaining portion of the case to the State Attorney’s office, we strongly believe that the State Attorney will not prosecute Mr. Ziegler for any crime,” he added.
Mr. Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, were vilified by both community members and GOP officials after police documents revealed the couple intended to meet with the woman for a sexual encounter on the day of the incident.
In the documents, Mrs. Ziegler confirmed to detectives that she and her husband were involved in a three-way romantic relationship with the woman and had met for a previous sexual encounter a year prior.
The documents revealed text messages between Mr. Ziegler and the woman who tried to cancel the three-way encounter after Mrs. Ziegler had to cancel at the last minute. The woman claimed that Mr. Ziegler forced his way into her apartment after she declined to see him without his wife.
He faced calls for resignation from top Republicans in Florida, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott, and Sen. Marco Rubio.
Mr. Ziegler was ousted from his position on Jan. 8, and the RPOF voted for former vice chair Evan Power to replace him. Party officials say Mr. Ziegler demanded a $2 million “buyout” to step down from his position, which the RPOF refused.
Mrs. Ziegler, a member of the Sarasota County School Board, also faced calls for her resignation, with some pointing to her outspoken views against the LGBT community.
During a Dec. 12, 2023, public school board meeting, several local residents called Mrs. Ziegler a “hypocrite” for working against LGBT causes while simultaneously engaging in a romantic relationship with another woman.
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
The school board voted unanimously on a resolution calling for her voluntary resignation. Mrs. Ziegler refused to step down.
She is also a co-founder of Moms for Liberty but left the organization in 2021. She helped draft Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
After Mr. DeSantis dissolved the former governing board for Disney World that gave the company authority over its extensive properties in Central Florida, the governor placed Mrs. Ziegler on the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD).
The CFTOD has not asked for Mrs. Ziegler’s resignation and did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
If she does not resign from the school board, Mrs. Ziegler’s term ends in 2026.
Michael Thompson, the chairman of the Lee County Republican Party, told The Epoch Times that Mr. Ziegler has “nothing to do with the party anymore.”
Mr. Ziegler is still the elected state committeeman for the Sarasota County Republican Party but his term ends this year. If he runs for re-election, he will face Republican voters in August.
“People forget things. You'll never know what happens in politics. But I believe the [GOP] voters of Sarasota County will voice their opinion this August, and if they vote to send Christian back to represent them at the Florida GOP, it is what it is.
“And if they don’t, then that pretty much tells you right there that Christian Ziegler will have no future in Florida politics,” he said.
Mr. Thompson said he also does not foresee Mrs. Ziegler stepping down from the school board willingly, or she would have already. But he sees an uphill battle for her in any future elections because of the “environment.”
“I would encourage them both to probably just take a step back from politics; focus on healing and focus on their family [and] what the future holds. But I believe the immediate future for both of them is more than likely probably not going to include politics,” he said.
