Add House Speaker Paul Renner to a growing list of officials calling for Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chair Christian Zielger to step down in the wake of sexual assault allegations.
Less than 24 hours after Senate President Kathleen Passidomo asserted that it is "impossible" for Ziegler to continue leading the state party, Renner issued a statement expressing similar sentiments.
"It is untenable for Christian Ziegler to continue as Chairman of the RPOF and I recommend he resign his post," Renner told Florida Politics on Sunday afternoon. "The serious allegations at issue require his full attention and we need someone who can provide the singular focus the party needs."
Other Florida GOP notables recommending Zielger's exit include Gov. Ron DeSantis, state Sen. Dennis Baxley of Ocala and North Fort Myers state Rep. Spencer Roach, who also called for Ziegler's wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, to vacate her Sarasota School Board seat.
Zielger's political and legal troubles stem from accusations of rape a Sarasota woman lodged against him Oct. 2. A search warrant used to obtain digital information from Ziegler's electronic device confirms there is video footage showing him at the woman's home when the crime allegedly took place.
Bridget Ziegler confirmed to police the three had been involved in a prior sexual encounter at least once a year before.
Police have filed no charges yet against Zielger, but he remains under active criminal investigation.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, state Rep. Alex Andrade of Pensacola and Manatee County Republican Party Chair Steve Vernon, among others, have argued a resignation now would be premature.
Gaetz, who faced allegations of impropriety in a 2021 sex trafficking case that resulted in charges against him, said elected officials and the public should "wait for the facts" before demanding Ziegler's resignation.
In an email Saturday to RPOF members, Ziegler said he won't say much publicly now about the matter in order to "protect the integrity of the investigation."
He blamed former Florida ACLU Board member Michael Barfield and former Republican lawyer Ron Filipkowski for spreading word about the allegations, which he denied are true.
Ziegler did not say whether he plans to leave his post.
"We have a country to save," he said. "I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up."
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Jacob Ogles contributed to this report.
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