Citing scandal, Florida School Board urges member to resign

The elected school board in Sarasota, Florida, took the rare step Tuesday of calling for the resignation of one of its own members, the latest development in an ongoing scandal surrounding a power couple in Republican state politics.

In a 4-1 vote, the school board rebuked Bridget Ziegler, a nine-year member, saying the drama engulfing her and her husband had become too much of a distraction. Ms. Ziegler was the only member to vote against the non-binding resolution; she gave no indication that she would resign.

Her husband, Christian Ziegler, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is under criminal investigation for sexual assault. His accuser told Sarasota police that she had a consensual sexual encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler more than a year ago, according to a search warrant affidavit — a fact both Zieglers confirmed to investigators.

That revelation, first reported last month by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, led to demands for Ms. Ziegler, a supporter of anti-LGBTQ policies, to resign, with critics branding her a hypocrite.

“When you claim the moral high ground and then attack the moral integrity of others, Ms. Ziegler’s blatant hypocrisy and the way it reflects on the credibility of this administration is of great concern to this community,” Rudolph Lucek, a resident of Sarasota. , said during the meeting’s public comment period. Most of the dozens of speakers supported the resolution.

Ms. Ziegler, 41, dismissed the nonbinding resolution as toothless because only the governor has the authority to fire school board members.

“I am disappointed,” she said in brief remarks. She made no mention of the investigation into her husband.

Ziegler, 40, has denied wrongdoing and refused to resign even after the state’s top Republican officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, urged him to do so. The state party has scheduled a special meeting of its board of directors for Sunday to consider disciplining, censuring or removing Mr. Ziegler.

Mr. Ziegler’s accuser, whose name has been redacted from public records, said she refused to have sex with Mr. Ziegler on Oct. 2 after realizing his wife would not join them. Mr. Ziegler then went to her apartment uninvited and sexually assaulted her, the woman told police.

Tuesday’s school board meeting began with a vote on the resolution, followed by several hours of public comments that were often raw and tinged with anger. The board has been embroiled in battles for years over policies related to the coronavirus pandemic, LGBTQ issues, books and what is taught in schools in Sarasota County, an affluent community on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Until recently, Ms. Ziegler served as chairman of the board of directors.

Ms. Ziegler, a Republican, has been a prominent supporter of a parental rights law in education, nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, that would ban classroom instruction on LGBTQ topics. During the pandemic, she co-founded the right-wing activist group Moms for Liberty; she and her husband have frequently posted on social media against transgender rights.

Some people at the meeting spoke in support of Ms. Ziegler.

“She didn’t do anything illegal,” Timothy Wagner said. “What an adult does in her private life is hers.”

The board resolution stated that allowing Ms. Ziegler to remain a member would “create an irreparably detrimental distraction to the ability of the school board to fulfill its critical constitutional mission.”

“It’s not about the left; it is not about the right,” Karen Rose, board chair, said before the vote. “It’s about students.”