DeSantis appoints new member to state Disney district board
Jack Birle
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced he is nominating Charbel Barakat to the board of Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which governs the Walt Disney World Resort, amid the feud with the central Florida company.
Barakat, a lawyer from Tampa who serves as the vice president of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Federalist Society and is the regional general counsel for D.R. Horton, Inc., said he was “honored” by the nomination.
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“I’m honored to be asked by Gov. DeSantis to serve the people of Florida,” Barakat said in a press release from the board.
“I hope to help bring additional efficiency, safety, and accountability to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District so that it may better serve the common good,” he continued.
Barakat, whose appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate, is slated to replace Michael Sasso, who resigned last week. Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board Chairman Martin Garcia said he is “thrilled” to have Barakat join the board.
“We are thrilled to have Charbel join the district board,” Garcia said in a statement. “His experience will help the district comply with all applicable Florida laws, develop new governance policies, create more financial transparency, evaluate new urban planning strategies, and promote more prosperity for more people in central Florida.”
The board was appointed in February after DeSantis signed a bill restructuring the district, which encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort.
Shortly after taking power, the board discovered an agreement Disney made with the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District, which undercut the new board’s power. After the agreement was discovered, DeSantis and the board worked to void the agreement leading Disney to file a lawsuit against the governor and the board in April.
In the lawsuit, the company accuses DeSantis and other officials of having pursued a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.” Barakat is likely to be added to the lawsuit, just as the new district administrator, Glenton Gilzean, was shortly after taking his position.
The feud between DeSantis and the company, which led to Disney’s central Florida district being restructured, stemmed from Disney denouncing the Parental Rights in Education Act, which DeSantis signed into law last year. Disney had previously maintained full autonomy over the district since its creation in 1967.
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DeSantis, who announced a presidential bid last month, doubled down on his battle with the entertainment giant, saying he will “not back down an inch” when it comes to taking on Disney.
“I’m not backing down one inch. We run the state of Florida; they do not run the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.