'On the prowl': Christian, Bridget Ziegler texts show couple's search for sexual partners

A newly surfaced memo from a Sarasota Police investigator described numerous text messages between Christian and Bridget Ziegler where the two were "on the prowl" for a female sexual encounter at different bars, according to records obtained by the Herald-Tribune.

In the memo, SPD investigator Angela Cox described seeing messages where Bridget would direct Christian in search of someone they were both interested in having sex with. In the conversations, Christian would secretly take pictures of women in bars and send them to Bridget for approval. She suggested he pretend to take pictures of his beer to not get caught by the women he was photographing.

"Don't come home until your d*** is wet," Bridget directed her husband, according to the memo.

More on the Zieglers: Sarasota judge to decide about releasing Christian Ziegler's records

Christian Ziegler faced rape allegations

In December, details emerged involving rape allegations against Christian, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, by a woman he’d known for years. The allegation stemmed from a planned three-way sexual encounter between Christian, the alleged victim and Bridget — who wasn't able to attend.

Sarasota police didn’t move forward with filing rape charges against Christian but asked the State Attorney's Office in January to review a related investigation into potential video voyeurism charges. The SAO announced in March that it wouldn’t move forward with charges.

The investigation threw Bridget, a Sarasota County School Board member and founder of Moms for Liberty, under further scrutiny. Her fellow board members passed a resolution calling for her resignation in December.

Bridget did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Board Chairwoman Karen Rose and fellow board members Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli did not respond to requests for comment.

Tom Edwards, the only registered Democrat on the school board and a self-described moderate, called her actions "predatory".

He pointed to the board's recent 4-1 approval of a Ziegler resolution rejecting federal Title IX protections against gender identity discrimination, questioning why the board continued to follow in her leadership amid the distraction she brings to the governing body.

"The confirmed predatory behavior exhibited by Mrs. Ziegler tells me she should be nowhere near policymaking for our children, and yet the political crony cabal on this board passed her discriminatory resolution," Edwards said. "When can this board get focused on educational outcomes? When can we deliver on 'Every child, every student every day?"

Bridget Ziegler accused of hypocrisy at Sarasota County School Board meetings

Details of Bridget's sexual relationships with women have caused many activists to rally hundreds of people to demonstrate at school board meetings, with many calling her hypocritical. The influx of protesters to Sarasota school board meetings has caused several meetings to last over five hours and end well into the night.

She's been a vocal advocate for legislation that many have called anti-LGBTQ+, such as the Parental Rights in Education Act — dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by its opponents.

Bridget also championed a district rejection of new federal Title IX protections against gender identity discrimination, asserting that it put children and girls in danger.

Barry Dubin, the executive director of the district's teacher's union, emailed the union's members Friday morning, jokingly calling Bridget the "gift that keeps giving."

"There is no need to relive the sordid details which have been spelled out in great detail by our local and national media," Dubin wrote. "What concerns me is what concerns our school district and that is Team Ziegler’s continued fight to stay relevant in light of those circumstances and to use our school district as its vehicle to do so."

He said the continued distraction could ruin the district's chance to keep the referendum, which comes for a vote in November.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bridget, Christian Ziegler's hunt for threesome partners shown in memo