Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed five members to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which is the new name for the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District. The five-member Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board will now oversee the government services that the Disney district provides.
The District’s boundaries include: 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 1 sports complex, 179 lane miles of roadway, 67 miles of waterway, the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, an environmental science laboratory where the continuity of water quality is monitored, an electric power-generating and distribution facility, a natural gas distribution system, a chilled water distribution system, water and wastewater collection and treatment facilities, a solid waste and recyclables collection and transfer system, plus over 40,000 hotel rooms and 100’s of restaurants and retail stores.
The Governor announced the appointment of Martin Garcia, Bridget Ziegler, Brian Aungst Jr., Michael A. Sasso, and Ron Peri, with Mr. Garcia appointed chairman of the board. Previously, Reedy Creek board members were picked by Disney-controlled entities.
Here is more information about Governor DeSantis’ appointments:
Martin Garcia
Garcia, of Tampa, has practiced law and served as partner in two premier law firms. Additionally, Garcia owned and operated a successful private equity investment firm and served on the board of a NASDAQ and three New York Stock Exchange companies.
Bridget Ziegler
Ziegler, of Sarasota, serves on the Sarasota School Board and is the Director of School Board Programs at The Leadership Institute. Prior to her current role, Ziegler has over a decade of experience in commercial insurance working with two of the largest global risk and insurance brokerage firms.
Brian Aungst Jr.
Aungst, of Clearwater, is an attorney and shareholder at the law firm of Macfarlane Ferguson and McMullen, P.A. Aungst has previously served as the Chairman of the Pinellas County Commission Redistricting Committee and has a growing land use law practice where he has gotten approval for hotels, condominiums, affordable housing developments, and the redevelopment of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Michael A. Sasso
Sasso, of Orlando, is the Managing Partner of Sasso and Sasso, P.A. His practice focuses on election law and complex business and construction litigation. Sasso was also appointed to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, was subsequently elected its chair, and now serves on the Sixth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission. He also serves as a commissioner of the Public Employees Relations Commission and as a trustee of Valencia State College.
Ron Peri
Peri, of Orlando, is the Chairman and CEO of The Gathering USA. Peri was also founder, Chairman, and CEO of the airline software company Radixx International, Inc. after serving as Vice President and CTO of AirTran Airways.
These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
At the bill signing ceremony in Lake Buena Vista, Governor DeSantis celebrated this as a political victory. “Today the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” Governor DeSantis said. “There’s a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day.”
