Anthony Sabatini spent years positioning himself as the most America First Republican in Florida.
Then he publicly mocked Trump's endorsements, predicted Democrats would "win the Midterms pretty big," and called the Trump brand a joke – and Florida Republicans decided they'd heard enough.
And the Lake County Republican Executive Committee just voted to formally reject Sabatini's membership application – and the message they sent is going to echo across every state party in America heading into 2026.
The Man Who Made Himself the Story
Sabatini wasn't just a critic.
He was a former party chairman who ran the Lake County GOP – and lost it – after spending years making himself the center of every controversy in Central Florida.
When Trump endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster over Sabatini's 2024 congressional run, Sabatini dropped out.
He said he understood "the political reality" of Trump endorsements but didn't agree with them – and the friction never went away.
https://twitter.com/JustinUSA/status/2026288723353116758?s=20
It only got louder.
After Trump endorsed Rep. Cory Mills – a congressman under active House Ethics investigation – Sabatini posted: "Sadly, the Trump endorsement has become such a joke at this point lol. The Democrats are going to win the Midterms pretty big because of things like this."
When you're a county commissioner typing "lol" to trash the sitting Republican president, don't be shocked when your own party tells you to find somewhere else to be.
What the Vote Actually Means
The Lake County GOP didn't just reject a membership application.
They put it on record – formally, by vote – what Republican discipline looks like heading into a critical election cycle.
The party's press release said Sabatini was "handing talking points and political cover to Democrats" at exactly the moment Republicans needed unity, not drama.
https://twitter.com/AnthonySabatini/status/2023546126276923563?s=20
The decision, the release stated, was about "unity, stability, and winning elections."
Chairman Taylor Yarkosky – the state representative who replaced Sabatini after a contentious December 2024 party election – has the results to back it up.
Since the transition, membership has doubled and fundraising has accelerated at a record pace.
The Lake County GOP is now one of the stronger Republican organizations in Florida going into 2026.
That is what a Republican Party looks like when adults are running it.
Sabatini, meanwhile, has spent the past year filing lawsuits against party leadership and trying to have Yarkosky removed.
Even his criticism of Trump was incoherent – attacking from the right on immigration, complaining there weren't enough deportations, while simultaneously predicting Democratic landslides.
That's not a principled critic.
That's a man who lost his seat at the table and refuses to leave the building.
Why This Matters Beyond Lake County
Republicans all over the country are going to face a version of this question before November.
Do you tolerate the loud voices who hand Democrats ammunition every time they open their mouths? Or do you draw a line?
The Lake County GOP just drew one. Sabatini wasn't censured.
He wasn't quietly shunned. He applied for membership like anyone else, and the committee said no – on record, documented, unambiguous.
Every local GOP committee in America can use that precedent.
https://twitter.com/BrendonLeslie/status/2026098186402640336?s=20
The midterms are coming. Democrats are unified and hungry.
The party cannot afford passengers who spend their days giving CNN exactly what it needs to run a month of "Republicans in disarray" segments.
Sabatini can keep his county commission seat.
He can keep posting.
What he can't do is wrap himself in Republican Party credentials while working against the president his party elected by historic margins.
Florida Republicans just made that clear.
Sources:
- Jacob Ogles, "Lake County GOP rejects Anthony Sabatini's membership application," Florida Politics, February 24, 2026.
- Frank Kopylov, "Lake County GOP rejects membership bid by Anthony Sabatini," February 23, 2026.
- Jacob Ogles, "Taylor Yarkosky wins election as new leader of Lake County GOP," Florida Politics, December 19, 2024.
- Jacob Ogles, "Anthony Sabatini says Donald Trump 'barely knows what's going on' when endorsing candidates," Florida Politics, November 26, 2024.
