ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Republican Party leaders will meet in Orlando later this month to discuss an ongoing sexual assault investigation involving the party’s chairman.
Vice Chairman Evan Power confirmed to News 6 that a meeting he called for will take place Sunday, Dec. 17. The meeting, which will be closed to the public, will happen at the Rosen Centre Hotel.
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The meeting comes amid an investigation in Sarasota involving RPOF Chairman Christian Ziegler, who has been accused of sexually battering a woman.
Documents obtained by News 6 show the Sarasota Police Department is looking into whether Christian Ziegler battered a woman who he and his wife had been in a three-way relationship with. Christian Ziegler’s wife is Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board member Bridget Ziegler, who is also a co-founder of Moms for Liberty.
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Christian Ziegler has not been charged with a crime.
Christian Ziegler has denied the allegations, and in an email to state Republicans over the weekend he said he would not step down as party chairman, and that he had the support of other GOP leaders.
However, on Tuesday Gov. Ron DeSantis reupped his call for Christian Ziegler to step aside, saying the allegations were serious and “the mission had to come first.”
“It’s not helpful to the mission to have this hanging over his head, and so I’ve said he should step aside,” DeSantis said during a news conference about his budget proposal. “Paul Renner, the speaker, Kathleen (Passidomo), senate president, I think most people acknowledge that it’s just an untenable situation when you have things like that there.”
In an email to state Republican leaders, Power said the party’s executive board wanted an opportunity to discuss what was going on, and when he asked Christian Ziegler to call a special meeting. The chairman declined, saying the issue could be taken up during the regular meeting in February. But Power said that wasn’t soon enough, and he had the support of enough members to call the meeting himself.
“I hope that we are able to move the Party forward in a positive manner as the 2024 elections are the most important elections we face in my lifetime,” Power wrote.
During the meeting, the board will discuss the situation with Christian Ziegler and discuss what appropriate actions should be taken.
That could include forming an investigative committee to recommend whether formal charges should be brought against Christian Ziegler, deciding whether he should be suspended from his authority or pay, or deciding whether there should be a vote of no confidence or a formal censure.
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