Ziegler pleaded with them to save his job but to no avail. A formal vote to remove him completely won't take place until January 8, but for now he has the job, his lucrative salary reduced to $1, his expense account closed, and he will not be reimbursed for expenses owed. The Censure motion passed unanimously. So, all in all, not much of a job left, just the title. For now.
Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Florida GOP on Sunday began the process of removing Chair Christian Ziegler amid sexual assault allegations, with the party's executive board voting during an emergency meeting to censure the chair, strip his authority and reduce his salary to $1.
The 40-member board is expected to hold a meeting next month to consider whether to remove Ziegler as chair.
A Sarasota police investigation into a woman's claim that Ziegler raped her on Oct. 2 has rocked the state's Republican Party, complicating efforts to gear up for the 2024 election. Sunday's votes showed party activists are eager to put Ziegler's situation behind them.
Ziegler isn't going quietly, though. He has resisted calls from leading Florida Republicans to resign and was in attendance Sunday to defend himself.
Ziegler told the executive board that "people have agendas” and asked members to “wait for case to end” before casting judgement, according to a source. Ziegler said he is "innocent and will not resign," the source added. He didn’t invoke former President Donald Trump, who also has been accused of sexual assault.
I would imagine that the agenda the Florida GOP has is that they don't want an accused rapist as their Chairman. That's not a good look.
