SARASOTA, Fla. — Bridget Ziegler isn't going anywhere, at least that's the message she appears to want the public to know
On Tuesday, the embattled conservative school board member caught in a three-way sex scandal with her husband and another woman, still didn’t budge as her future on Sarasota’s school board, once again, became the focus of public comment, criticism and ridicule.
"Your involvement is a distraction," said one citizen.
"Our meetings have become a circus," said another.
Ziegler, an original Moms for Liberty founder whose political platform has focused on eliminating LGBTQ+ rhetoric in public schools while advocating for traditional Christian family values, has faced a mountain of scrutiny over her apparent hypocrisy after rape allegations lodged against her husband exposed the couple’s untraditional personal lives.
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Court records show Bridget Ziegler admitted to police that she and her husband Christian Ziegler, former chairman of Florida’s Republican party, had a consensual three-way sexual encounter with a woman now accusing him of rape during a separate, more recent planned hook up that Bridget backed out of.
Christian Ziegler denies the allegation, claiming the encounter was consensual.
Tuesday night, Bridget Ziegler remained, for the most part, stone faced, tearing up only briefly amid nearly three hours of public comment where few showed their support while the majority said it was time for her to go.
"Frankly it doesn’t seem fair to you guys," investigative reporter Katie LaGrone said to Board Chairwoman Karen Rose about Ziegler’s ongoing presence on the board which, for the past two board meetings have inspired about three hours of public comment before board members could begin discussing official district business.
In response Rose said, "I don’t control what happens at this point, what a board members’ decision is or what our Governor’s decisions are, I don’t control that."
Last month, Rose led efforts to pass a resolution seeking Ziegler’s resignation, but the resignation lacks teeth and was passed as a symbolic gesture. The only person who can remove Ziegler is the governor who has been a political ally, endorsing her for the school board seat. Gov. Ron DeSantis also appointed Ziegler to serve on the board of his controversial Disney Reedy Creek district.
But citizens who came out Tuesday night are determined their voices will control what happens next for Ziegler whose ongoing presence, they believe, will continue to only be a distraction.
"We won’t stop until you’re gone," multiple members of the public said.
Bridget Ziegler didn’t offer any comment to public comment and quickly left the meeting, refusing to answer any questions from the media.
Meantime her husband Christian, who was recently forced out of his job with the GOP, has denied the allegations calling his sexual encounter with the accuser consensual.
