Three new Board of Supervisor Board Members have taken their seats at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The change comes after another shakeup at the District, which has gone through a significant amount of change following the takeover by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis back in early 2023. The newest members replace former members who either stepped down or had their term expire. Here’s the latest.
New Oversight District Board of Supervisor Members
We’ll start with the new members, who were recently appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
John Gilbert
Gilbert is the Executive Managing Director at Stream Realty Partners. He was recognized as the 2007 and the 2012 Orlando Office Broker of the Year by the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Gilbert earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate from Florida State University.
Gilbert will serve a two-year term, with his current term set to expire on February 26, 2027.
Scott Workman
Workman is the Owner of Workman Transportation and Owner and President of Workman Travel. He has been active in the transportation industry in Orlando for over 25 years. Workman attended the University of Iowa.
Workman will serve a two-year term, with his current term set to expire on February 26, 2027.
Alexis Yarbrough
Yarbrough is the current Chair of the Broward College District Board of Trustees. She previously served as Chair and Commissioner on the Fourth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission. Yarbrough earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and her juris doctor from Nova Southeastern University.
Yarbrough will serve a two-year term, with her current term set to expire on February 26, 2027.
In addition to the new members, there are two familiar faces on the Board as well. Before we get to the Board of Supervisor members who are staying on board, we should note that former Vice Chair Charbel Barakat has left the board, and that former member Ron Peri’s term was allowed to expire on February 26, 2025.
While we were not able to find an official announcement, and there hasn’t been an update to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s website, we’re told that Board Member Bridget Ziegler’s term was extended. We’re not sure for how long.
In addition, Brian Aungst, Jr. will remain on the Board, with his term currently set to expire on February 26, 2027.
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.
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.
The big agenda item at today’s meeting was a recap of the 2024 financials, with the District increasing its net position by nearly $100 million. Check out our earlier reporting below for more details.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
