Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed Alexis Yarbrough, John Gilbert, and Scott Workman to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), with Yarbrough named as Chair. These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate and come as two current board members, Ron Peri and Bridget Ziegler, approach the end of their terms on February 26, 2025.
New Appointees
Alexis Yarbrough – Chair
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. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and a juris doctor from Nova Southeastern University.
John Gilbert
Gilbert is the Executive Managing Director at Stream Realty Partners. He was named Orlando Office Broker of the Year in 2007 and 2012 by the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Commercial Real Estate Development Association. He earned a bachelor's degree in real estate from Florida State University.
Scott Workman
Workman is the Owner of Workman Transportation and Workman Travel. He has worked in Orlando's transportation industry for more than 25 years. He attended the University of Iowa.
Potential Board Changes
With Ron Peri and Bridget Ziegler's terms expiring on February 26, 2025, it is likely that two of the new appointees are intended to replace them. If Peri or Ziegler are not reappointed, their seats would be filled by the new members once confirmed by the Florida Senate.
Current Board Members
With these appointments, the updated CFTOD Board of Supervisors is as follows:
- Alexis Yarbrough – Chair (Pending confirmation) – Term expires 2/26/27
- Charbel Barakat – Vice Chair – Term expires 2/26/27
- Brian Aungst, Jr. – Term expires 2/26/27
- Ron Peri – Term expires 2/26/25
- Bridget Ziegler – Term expires 2/26/25
- John Gilbert (Pending confirmation) – Term expires 2/26/27
- Scott Workman (Pending confirmation) – Term expires 2/26/27
Brief History of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) was created in 2023 to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which had been controlled by Disney since 1967. Reedy Creek was established to give Disney near-total autonomy over land use, infrastructure, and services within its Florida property.
In 2022, after Disney publicly opposed Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, DeSantis and state lawmakers moved to dissolve Reedy Creek. In early 2023, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 9-B, officially replacing Reedy Creek with CFTOD and giving the state authority over the district's governance. The law also gave the governor power to appoint all board members, shifting control away from Disney.
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