Florida GOP executive board members want to act fast on expelling Christian Ziegler

Members of the Republican Party of Florida want Christian Ziegler gone as Chair. But questions remain as to how fast he can be removed if he won’t resign.

The executive board for the state party plans to meet Sunday in Orlando, where they intend to discuss sanctions for Ziegler. That happens weeks into a sex scandal that has crippled the party’s ability to raise money.

Members of the executive board expect to discuss suspending Ziegler’s $120,000 salary immediately. But the Chair cannot be removed until the party holds a trial and has a committee recommend appropriate punishment. The party’s constitution contains provisions to establish a tribunal to investigate misconduct by any state officer.

Ziegler is expected to attend the Sunday meeting, but members are expected to determine he has a financial conflict of interest in actions. That should leave Vice Chair Evan Power in charge of the meeting.

One member wants a trial and Ziegler’s removal to happen as soon as possible. The member believes a trial could take place as soon as Monday. Teleconferencing, the member said, would allow members to meet without gathering in a single location in the state.

But it’s uncertain that noticing requirements will allow that rapid a timeline.

When the meeting was first called, party officials told Florida Politics the executive board needed to empower the tribunal, but that board would need 10 days notice before it could meet for a trial and to make recommendations. From there, officials would then need to issue another 10-day notice to gather the executive board together again.

Multiple sources within the party said the executive board will need to discuss whether it can waive its own rules to expedite the process. If that’s the case, Ziegler could be out of a job as soon as Monday afternoon.

But there’s some resistance to the idea, and concern whether any deviation from the process could provide legal exposure to the party. But following the process could mean Ziegler remains in charge of the party into January, a time period that spans the holiday season and runs up against the Legislative Session in January.

Ziegler to date has rebuffed any calls to voluntarily step down. Multiple sources have told Florida Politics that Ziegler, through emissaries, sought a substantial payout to go away. But other members of the executive committee have shown little appetite for that type of settlement.

Of note, while Power will mostly lead meetings this week because of the conflict, Ziegler’s resignation or suspension would not automatically elevate Power to state Chair. The state party instead would need to hold a new election for the top post.

A Sarasota woman told police Ziegler raped her in an apartment on Oct. 2. Ziegler said the encounter was consensual, and both he and his wife, Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler, admitted a prior threesome with the same woman more than a year prior, according to police documents already made public.

Video of the encounter, taken by Ziegler on his cell phone and obtained through a search warrant, reportedly contradicts parts of the accuser’s account of events. But many members of the party say the activities to which the Zieglers already confessed warrant resignation from any public or party positions.