LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Anthony Sabatini, current Lake County commissioner and former Florida state representative, is lashing out against county Republican leaders after his application to become a member of its executive committee was rejected.
The Lake County Republican Party voted 70-56 against Sabatini in a meeting Monday night.
In a video posted on X.com by Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics.com , Sabatini is seen calling party leaders “RINOS” which means “Republican in Name Only.”
“We’re not going to let these RINOS... literally drag out these fossils to vote against patriots for the RNC,” Sabatini is heard saying in the video.
In a statement to News 6, Sabatini accused county GOP chair Taylor Yarkosky, who is also a state representative, “begged members to vote no” because Sabatini published an email on Facebook that he says shows Yarkosky admitting to a criminal act.
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In a statement from the Lake GOP that Schorsch also posted, Yarkosky criticized Sabatini’s recent criticism of the Trump administration.
“In recent months, rather than standing shoulder to shoulder with President Donald Trump and advancing a unified Republican agenda, Mr. Sabatini has chosen to publicly attack the president and his administration,” the statement read.
Sabatini has said that the administration needs to step up the deportation of undocumented immigrants. In a statement on Facebook on Feb. 22, he said deportations needed to be increased by a factor of 10, for instance.
Sabatini has otherwise been a staunch supporter of the president’s immigration policies, most recently speaking in favor of bringing an immigration detainment center to Orlando.
He also recently accused the U.S. House Republican majority of not helping the Trump administration in stepping up mass deportations.
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Sabatini has also criticized President Trump’s endorsement of embattled Florida congressman Cory Mills for reelection, who is facing charges related to sexual harassment and cyberstalking, among other things.
“Unfortunately, Trump’s endorsements have become a complete joke at this point lol,” Sabatini wrote on Feb. 11.
Sabatini has also spoken against Rep. Byron Donalds, the GOP frontrunner in the Florida governor’s race. Trump has also endorsed Donalds.
Sabatini prefers controversial candidate James Fishback.