Sarasota Democrats, Support Our Schools issue fresh call for Bridget Ziegler’s resignation

Daniel Kuether speaks at a Sarasota County Commission forum as Fredd Atkins and Lourdes Ramirez listen. Image via Instagram.

Sarasota County Democrats and Support Our Schools are continuing to push Bridget Ziegler to resign from the Sarasota County School Board.

The groups will hold a joint press conference at 4:30 p.m., ahead of a 6 p.m. School Board meeting. There, leaders intend to reiterate a demand the social conservative step aside amid a sex scandal.

“It’s a disruption to the work of the School Board, which is supposed to be a nonpartisan effort to help our children in this county,” said Daniel Kuether, Chairman of the Sarasota County Democratic Party.

Ziegler and husband Christian Ziegler, Republican Party of Florida Chair, have been a fixture in headlines now for nearly two weeks amid an active criminal investigation. A woman accused Christian Ziegler of raping her on Oct. 2 in her apartment. Christian Ziegler said the encounter was consensual, but both Christian and Bridget Ziegler over the course of the investigation have admitted to engaging in three-way sex with the accuser.

The salacious scandal sparked extra attention as the Zieglers for years positioned themselves on the front lines of culture wars in Florida.

“Bridget Ziegler has been working for several years in fighting against minority populations from the School Board, whether that is the African American population or the LGBTQ population,” Kuether said. “That includes a lot of work on the ‘don’t say gay’ bill. Then we learn she is participating in a same-sex relationship of her own accord.”

Support Our Schools issued a lengthy statement demanding Bridget Ziegler publicly apologize to the community for her hypocrisy.

“As a starting point, the Sarasota community deserves an apology from Mrs. Ziegler — a heartfelt, compassionate apology, complete with accountability, acknowledgment, remorse, and regret,” the statement reads.

“That is what our teachers, parents, community, and especially our students, deserve.  The Sarasota community needs to start the healing process and we cannot do that while Mrs. Zeigler continues to hold court on the board.  Following her apology, Mrs. Zeigler must resign her Sarasota school board seat.”

Kuether, a gay man, said the sort of politics the Zieglers fostered in Sarasota made it more difficult in the region for LGBTQ to live day-to-day. Her work on policies like a parental rights bill forbidding discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in school especially made matters worse for LGBTQ youth.

The press conference today comes ahead of a 6 p.m. Sarasota County School Board meeting. Two of the board members, Tom Edwards and Karen Rose, have called for Ziegler, and Rose intends to bring a resolution in front of the board to that effect.