The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District website has now been updated to reflect the recent departure of Chairman of the Board, Martin Garcia.
The position of CFTOD Chair is now listed as "open," and there is no additional information on the district's plans to find a successor to Garcia.
Garcia's departure came just days after CFTOD administrator Glen Gilzean took a new job as Supervisor of Elections in Orange County. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is moving Stephanie Kopelousos, another of his allies, into the administrator role.
In an email to the AP, DeSantis' communications director, Bryan Griffin, thanked Garcia for "successfully navigating" the transition of the district and added that Garcia "developed a new district focused on transparency and the elimination of corporate welfare."
The next CFTOD board meeting is scheduled for March 27, 2024, and one item on the agenda is the "Consideration of Employment Agreement with Stephanie Kopelousos for District Administrator."
Garcia was initially appointed as board chairman through February 2027 and was an original member of DeSantis' new organization, which replaced Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District in June 2023. Garcia has been one of the most outspoken critics of Disney, recently saying the Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District was "arguably the most egregious example of corporate cronyism in the history of modern America."
Garcia is the second board member to leave, with Michael Sasso resigning from his board position after less than four months on the job. It was reported in October 2023 that over thirty employees have resigned from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District since the DeSantis takeover. This mass exodus includes almost half of its senior leadership, raising serious concerns about operational stability and political influence.
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