Video above from March 6, 2024: Former Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler avoids video voyeurism charge

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Sarasota judge on Friday denied a request by local media outlets to release records pertaining to the Christian Ziegler investigation after he sued the city to prevent the release of more documents.

Ex-Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler — a Sarasota County School Board member — filed a lawsuit in late March to block certain records from being released after the investigation into sexual assault allegations against him was closed without any charges.

The Zieglers are seeking to block any further releases of things such as web browsing history, text message conversations, and other data from Christian Ziegler’s phone, citing a violation of their privacy. Some documents have already been released.

WFLA’s parent company, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., joined other Tampa Bay-area media outlets in asking the judge to dismiss the Ziegler lawsuit and release the documents.

Local outlets argued for the release of records related to the investigation on the grounds that the public had a right to know if the Zieglers’ communications with one another or others raised questions about their roles as appointed or elected public officials.

On March 22, the judge granted the Zieglers’ request to temporarily block the records from being released while the case plays out in court, and has also agreed to expedite the case.

The Zieglers claim releasing those records would “cause great humiliation and harm to their individual reputations,” according to the lawsuit.

“If the City was to publicly release the highly personal and private documents and electronic data in their possession, then the Zieglers would have no adequate remedy at law and suffer irreparable harm, as the release of such information cannot be undone,” the lawsuit reads.

Christian Ziegler was accused of rape after a sexual encounter in October. An investigation found that the encounter was likely consensual and there was no probable cause to charge him with a crime.

The case was then forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office to review for possible video voyeurism charges after Christian Ziegler showed a recording to investigators to prove that the encounter was consensual. At the time, the accuser said she did not consent to being recorded.

On March 6, the State Attorney’s Office declined to bring charges, citing a lack of sufficient evidence, and the woman not being able to remember if she gave permission to be recorded.

Bridget Ziegler, also a co-founder of “Moms for Liberty,” became tied up in the allegations after admitting that she and her husband previously had a consensual threesome with the woman who made the accusations. Bridget Ziegler was never accused of a crime.

Bridget Ziegler has repeatedly faced calls to resign from the Sarasota County School Board since the allegations were made public, but she has said she’ll remain on the board.