The Republican Party of Lake County finds itself at a crossroads after the election of Rep. Taylor Yarkosky as Chair of the Republican Executive Committee (REC). While Yarkosky champions his victory as a sign of change and unity, outgoing Chair Anthony Sabatini has painted a starkly different picture, alleging manipulation, betrayal, and what he sees as an undermining of the party’s integrity.

Sabatini, who did not seek re-election for the Chair position, has not held back in expressing his disdain for the election’s outcome. He claims that David Jordan, Lake County Tax Collector, orchestrated a last-minute influx of REC members to sway the vote.

“They brought in 90 applications to join the party,” Sabatini says. “Employees, family members of David Jordan… all told to vote against Carey [Baker].”

According to Sabatini, this surge of new REC members, reportedly organized just before the election, ensured Yarkosky’s victory.

“They recruited into the party about 40 of their family members and employees,” he alleged. The maneuver, he says, led to Yarkosky securing enough votes to defeat Baker’s stand-in, Lake County Commissioner Leslie Campione.

Sabatini has also criticized Yarkosky’s qualifications and the influence he believes Jordan wielded over the election.

“Yarkosky doesn’t know anything about anybody,” he says. “He got up and said, ‘I’m here to do whatever David Jordan told me to do.'”

The former Chair described the process as orchestrated and devoid of genuine debate.

This isn’t the first time Jordan has been at the center of Lake County Republican politics. Sabatini pointed to the controversy surrounding the Property Appraiser race, where Mark Jordan, David’s brother, filed to run against incumbent Carey Baker moments before the qualifying deadline, a move that split the vote and resulted in Baker losing his position.

“They sabotaged the process,” Sabatini said, noting that the same faction helped install Yarkosky as Chair.

Sabatini’s frustration was evident in his social media comments about the election’s aftermath.

For his part, Yarkosky has dismissed Sabatini’s claims, characterizing them as divisive and unproductive.

“Anthony Sabatini has got evil in his heart, and he has no business running anything,” Yarkosky said in an interview with Florida Politics. He expressed frustration over the party’s recent infighting and emphasized the need for unity. “We are sick and tired of the party treating people the way they have been treated.”

Lake County, with more than 129,000 registered Republicans, remains a GOP stronghold in Florida. But the party’s internal tensions could threaten its ability to focus on broader goals like voter registration and turnout. While Yarkosky calls for a “fresh start,” Sabatini and his allies warn that such rhetoric masks deeper issues of manipulation and control.

Alongside Chairman Taylor Yarkosky, the newly elected leadership team includes Mike Trainor as Vice Chair, Stephen Shylkofski as Secretary, and Tyler Brandeburg as Treasurer. Representing the county at the state level, Barbara Price will serve as Lake County Republican State Committeewoman, while Chuck Benoit assumes the role of State Committeeman.