The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) has gone through another Board of Supervisors replacement cycle. Two new Board of Supervisors members were appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this month, and they have now been officially added to the CFTOD website. The appointment of these two new members means that the Board no longer contains any original members. Here’s the latest.
Final Original Board Members Replaced at DeSantis’ Disney Oversight District
On January 12th, DeSantis announced that he would be appointing Matt Ravenscroft and David Woods to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. According to the announcement from DeSantis, Ravenscroft is the Executive Vice President and Director of Sunrise Bank in Orlando. Previously, he served as a Senior Vice President of Old Florida Bank, United Heritage Bank, and Citrus Bank. Ravenscroft attended the University of Central Florida and earned his associate degree from Valencia College. Woods is an Attorney at Woods & Woods, P.A. His practice areas include real estate, wills, trusts, and estates. Woods earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from Florida State University and his juris doctor from St. Thomas University.
Critically, the appointment of two new members means that the final original members of the Board of Supervisors have been replaced. Both Brian Aungst, Jr. and Bridget Ziegler were part of the original five Board of Supervisor members appointed by DeSantis during his retaliation against Disney for their stance in opposition to his “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Since then, Board Members have left their positions, some earlier than planned. While official comment has proven difficult to obtain from the CFTOD, previous records show that Aungst’s term was set to expire in February 2027. He was replaced ahead of schedule.
Ziegler’s term was originally set to expire in February 2025, but we were told that her term was extended. The CFTOD would not say for how long her term was extended. It’s possible, and even likely, that she was replaced ahead of schedule as well.
DeSantis and Disney were at odds for years with competing lawsuits. Then, in March 2024, Disney and DeSantis reached a settlement agreement that allowed Disney to continue to have a say in how the land around its theme parks and resorts was governed and developed.
Since that March 2024 settlement, we’ve seen business slowly return to normal at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The replacement of some of DeSantis’ bulldogs on the Board of Supervisors has proven to be a key part of that settlement.
The current lineup of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors is as follows:
- Alexis Yarbrough – Chair
- David Woods
- Matt Ravenscroft
- John Gilbert
- Scott Workman
Yarbrough, Gilbert, and Workman made their CFTOD debut nearly a year ago.
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!
To this day I still am at a loss for words as to why the governor would go to war with the largest employer and tax generator in the state over a disagreement over gender. Especially when so many of Disney employees are gay. I’ll never understand politics or politicians.