According to an update to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) website, Vice Chair Charbel Barakat has departed from the Board of Supervisors. The departure of Barakat is unexpected, but so too was his arrival when he replaced Michael Sasso following Sasso’s resignation. The departure of Barakat comes after news that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis nominated three new members to the Board. Here’s the latest.
CFTOD Changes: Vice Chair Charbel Barakat Departs Board
Here’s a look at the currently listed lineup of Board of Supervisor members:
- Open – Chair
- Ron Peri (term expires 2/26/25)
- Brian Aungst, Jr. (term expires 2/26/27)
- Bridget Ziegler (term expires 2/26/25)
- John Gilbert (term expires 2/26/27)
- Scott Workman (term expires 2/26/27)
In a recent announcement from DeSantis, he said that Alexis Yarbrough would be filling the role of chair, but Yarbrough was not added to the website following the recent additions of Gilbert and Workman.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is the result of a rather hostile takeover by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of the longstanding Reedy Creek Improvement District. The takeover was retaliatory for Disney’s stance against the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation championed by DeSantis. The fallout of the takeover was multiple lawsuits between Disney and the Governor, but all that was quashed back in March 2024 when a settlement was reached.
Since the settlement, there has been a focus from the formerly activist Board to get back to business as usual. As part of those efforts, there have been new members added to the Board as more extreme Board members departed. It’s unclear why Barakat left.
The big agenda item for the CFTOD this year is continuing to work in concert with Walt Disney World to shape the Comprehensive Plan that will dictate development at Walt Disney World over the next decade. That document is expected to be finalized later this year.
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