Credit: Inside the MagicDeSantis’ Disney oversight committee has lost another leading figure.
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Charbel Barakat, previously the Vice Chair of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, has departed from his role. Barakat’s departure marks the most recent change in leadership for the board and has already been wiped from the CFTOD website
Barakat first joined the CFTOD in 2023 and was appointed by Gov. DeSantis himself. He replaced Michael Sasso, another former board leader. According to the Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Barakat has joined the University of South Florida Board of Trustees.
New appointees John Gilbert and Scott Workman have been added to the board, both with terms expiring on February 26, 2027. The Chair position remains open, with Alexis Yarbrough expected to assume the role left open by Barakat pending confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Earlier this week, Gov. DeSantis announced that he was appointing three new board members to fill the spots left by recent resignations. DeSantis appointed Alexis Yarbrough, John Gilbert, and Scott Workman to the board.
Disney and DeSantis
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The state of Florida took ownership of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District with the help of a new board that was put in place by Gov. DeSantis. Along with widespread internal changes to operations, Reedy Creek is now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
In the years since, the CFTOD has essentially operated in the same way that Disney’s Reedy Creek did, though with a few tweaks and adjustments. Perhaps one of the most significant changes is a bill Gov. DeSantis signed in 2023 that requires the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to inspect Walt Disney World’s numerous Monorails.
These moderately speedy visions of the future are actually quite old, debuting alongside Magic Kingdom and the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 1971. Disney privately owned and operated these futuristic train cars and still does, though the FDOT now inspects the cars and the overall structure of Disney’s Monorail system approximately every two years, with the next inspection set for 2026.
Alongside changes to the way Disney World can operate, DeSantis also made a number of threats against The Walt Disney Company. Among these threats was a possible new bill that would raise taxes on Disney World’s various hotels, as well as a potential new state prison set to be built right next to the resort.
Things have certainly quieted down since the intense back-and-forth between Disney and DeSantis, especially now that the two have ended their legal dispute. However, the ramifications of taking over Disney’s Reedy Creek certainly have significant implications going forward.
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