Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: December 4th - December 10th, 2023


RUNOFF ELECTIONS ARE COMING UP:

Lakeland- TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5th
Winter Haven- TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5th

IF YOU LIVE IN LAKELAND OR WINTER HAVEN (inside the city limits of each)- GET OUT AND VOTE AND ENCOURAGE YOUR NEIGHBORS TO DO THE SAME!!

POLLS ARE OPEN FROM 7am to 7pm on the corresponding runoff election day.

All Vote By Mail requests expired after the 2022 General Election! Click here to request a VBM Ballot now.

Please check your registration as another 100k voters were purged from the Vote By Mail list!!!

    Precincts 111, 117 and 125 vote at: 
    Believers' Fellowship Church, 5240 N Socrum Loop Rd

    Precinct 112 votes at: 
    Gibsonia Baptist Church, 5440 US Hwy 98 N

    Precincts 116 and 120 vote at: 
    Faith Wesleyan Church, 3501 N Florida Ave

    Precinct 121 votes at: 
    Victory Assembly of God, Chapel, 1401 Griffin Rd

    Precinct 201 votes at: 
    Lake Crago Recreation Complex, 525 Lake Crago Dr

    Precinct 204 votes at: 
    Coleman-Bush Building, 1104 Martin L King Jr Ave

    Precinct 205 votes at: 
    Ewing Memorial 7th Day Adventist Church, 1201 N Webster Ave  

    Precinct 206 votes at: 
    Lakeland 7th Day Adventist Church, 1443 N Gilmore Ave 

    Precincts 118, 209 and 210 vote at: 
    First Baptist Institutional Church, 932 Martin L King Jr Ave

    Precincts 211 and 217 vote at: 
    Lake Mirror Center, 121 S Lake Ave 

    Precinct 212 votes at: 
    Woodall's Mobile Home Village, 2121 New Tampa Hwy

    Precincts 213 and 220 vote at: 
    Hilton Garden Inn, 3839 Don Emerson Dr

    Precinct 214 votes at: 
    Trinity United Methodist Church, 715 Cornelia Ave

    Precinct 216 votes at: 
    RP Funding Center - Lake Parker Rm, 701 W Lime St

    Precincts 219 and 225 vote at: 
    Iglesia Bautista Unidos Por Fe, 1000 Mt. Airy Ave

    Precinct 221 votes at:
    Heatherwood Village, 1925 Harden Blvd

    Precinct 222 votes at: 
    Mas Verde MHP, 2600 Harden Blvd

    Precinct 223 votes at: 
    College Heights Methodist Church, 942 South Blvd

    Precinct 224 votes at: 
    Cleveland Heights Golf Course, Sawgrass Room, 2900 Buckingham Ave

    Precinct 228 votes at: 
    United Methodist Temple, 2700 S Florida Ave 

    Precinct 229 votes at: 
    Kelly Recreation Complex, Gymnasium, 404 Imperial Blvd

    Precinct 230 votes at: 
    Cleveland Heights Baptist Church, 3120 Cleveland Heights Blvd

    Precinct 231 votes at: 
    First Alliance Church, 1919 E Edgewood Dr

    Precincts 233 and 234 vote at: 
    Lakeland Elks Lodge #1291, 4529 Harden Blvd

    Precinct 235 votes at: 
    Fellowship Baptist Church, 4625 Cleveland Heights Blvd

    Precincts 226 and 236 vote at: 
    Highland Park Church (FMB 707), 4730 Lakeland Highlands Rd

    Precincts 253 and 254 vote at: 
    Sun 'n Fun Expo Campus, Geico Atrium, 4075 James C. Ray Dr

More prominent Florida Republicans are calling on state GOP Chair Christian Ziegler to resign amid sexual assault accusations.

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner are both joining Gov. Ron DeSantis in urging Ziegler to step down from his job leading the Florida GOP.

“The Governor is the leader of our Party," Passidomo said in a statement. "I agree with his position. The allegations are serious, and will require Chair Ziegler's full attention.” 

Renner told the Florida Politics website it is "untenable" for Ziegler to continue as chair and "I recommend he resign his post."

"The serious allegations at issue require his full attention and we need someone who can provide the singular focus the party needs," Renner added.

Ziegler has been defiant in the face of such pressure. The embattled party chair sent an email to party activists Saturday that seemed to indicate he has no intention of stepping aside.

"We have a country to save and 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," Ziegler wrote.

In the email obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, Ziegler says that many people have reached out to support him.

"From congressmen, state elected leaders, prominent social conservatives and county party leaders, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that has been sent my way," he wrote. He did not name any of them in his email.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz also told Florida Politics: “Given my experience I tend to wait for the facts to come out before rendering judgment."

Gaetz was investigated by the Department of Justice over sex trafficking allegations. Gaetz's attorneys announced earlier this year that DOJ officials told them they were dropping the probe and no charges would be filed.

A search warrant affidavit says there was a planned three-way sexual encounter between Christian Ziegler, his wife Bridget Ziegler and the alleged sexual assault victim on Oct. 2.

When Bridget Ziegler couldn't attend, Christian Ziegler showed up at the alleged victim's apartment alone anyway, which is when the alleged assault occurred, records show.

The affidavit states that both Bridget Ziegler, Sarasota County School Board member and Moms for Liberty co-founder , and the alleged victim told police that they had a sexual encounter more than a year ago that included Christian Ziegler.

Ziegler also wrote about his wife in the email to party activists: "My family is rock solid. My wife is behind me 150%."