ORLANDO, Fla. – The head of Florida’s Republican Party says he is not going anywhere despite being at the center of a rape investigation.
Christian Ziegler has been accused of forcing his way into a woman’s apartment and raping her two months ago.
Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis called on him to resign to avoid becoming a distraction to the party. But in an email to supporters this weekend, Zeigler says he’s innocent and that he won’t step down.
No charges have been filed against Ziegler and according to search warrant affidavits filed by Sarasota police, the accuser has known Christian Ziegler for 20 years.
His wife, Bridget Ziegler — a co-founder of the group Moms for Liberty — told detectives that the three had engaged in sex once more than a year ago.
The couple claims they are being targeted because they are “loud political voices.”
Florida senate proposes constitutional amendment to ban reparations
Lawmakers in Tallahassee are divided over a proposal that would ban governments around the state from paying reparations to descendants of slaves.
A Republican state senator filed the proposed amendment to the state constitution.
If approved by the legislature and voters, state and local governments would be barred from compensating families in the form of reparations.
Conservatives accuse Democrats of using the issue to gain support from Black voters but democratic lawmakers are calling the whole thing a distraction.
“Floridians are struggling to find affordable housing in our state. They are unable to pay their high property insurance premiums. Yet and still, we are going down another cultural rabbit hole,” said State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens).
If the measure makes it to next year’s ballot, it must get at least 60% support from voters to pass.
Undefeated FSU left out of College Football Playoff
The Florida State Seminoles have been denied a playoff spot and a chance to compete for a national title.
It comes after the team had a perfect season going 13-0.
But apparently that wasn’t enough to put them in the playoffs — a committee instead picked Michigan, Texas, Alabama and Washington.
Shortly after the announcement, Head Coach Mike Norvell released a statement saying he was “disgusted and infuriated” with the committee’s decision.
FSU fans are outraged about this too saying they were robbed from going to the playoffs.
“There has never been an undefeated team to not be in the college football playoff. They should’ve put Florida State in because of our resume, our record and everything else,” said Maxwell Vollrath, an FSU student
The team lost star quarterback Jordan Travis to a horrible leg injury against North Alabama a few weeks ago.
Despite that, the Noles kept on winning and they will go on to compete in the Orange Bowl later this month.
Random Florida Fact
In a quiet wilderness area in Citrus County lies the few remains of a ghost town.
The village of Mannfield was settled in 1884 and once had a hotel, church, school, three general stores, a sawmill and a newspaper.
Just nine years later, the railroad came through the county and bypassed Mannfield to city of Inverness which became the new county seat.
Mannfield was soon abandoned.
If you hike through the Withlacoochee State Forest, you may come across the remnants of a concrete foundation, a capped well and a small cemetery.