If you’ve been following along with the situation between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, then you know that a LOT has happened in the past year.

Magic Kingdom

After Disney spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education Bill (also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill), DeSantis took steps to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is the governing body that oversees Disney World directly. After a long battle back and forth, the district has been renamed and new regulations have been outlined going forward…including a changing of the board members.

Previously, Disney appointed the board members directly for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but now those board members will be selected by Governor DeSantis and approved by the senate. According to the Orlando Sentinel, DeSantis has selected five nominees.

DeSantis signing the new bill

Martin Garcia, a Tampa lawyer, is who DeSantis wants serve as the chairman of the board. In the past, Garcia has donated $260,000 to political campaigns in Florida, including $53,000 to DeSantis and $25,000 to the Republican Party of Florida through his Pinehill Capital Partners investment firm.

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Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota County School Board member, is also among the picks to be on the board. Ziegler is the wife of Christian Ziegler, the newly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and the co-founder of Moms for Liberty. Also on the list is Ron Peri, CEO of The Gathering USA ministry and a resident of Windermere.

Rounding out the list of five are two more attorneys, Seminole County attorney Michael A. Sasso and Brian Aungst Jr., an attorney from Clearwater. Sasso is president of the Orlando chapter of the Federalist Society and Aungst serves on the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.

Reedy Creek Trash Cans

There has been some controversy about these selections, with DeSantis’s rivals speaking out against the choices for the board, calling the selections “unqualified” and “alarming.” One of the rules for board members is that they cannot have worked in the theme park industry in the past three years. DeSantis has claimed that the board members will “draw on a variety of experiences in law, business, and local government. We haven’t yet seen reports of these board members being approved by the senate, but we’ll be on the lookout for that next. 

We’re interested to see how this new board affects decisions made for Disney World going forward. We’ll make sure to keep you updated with any more information as it’s announced.

Why Disney Might NOT Fight the Death of Reedy Creek — Click Here

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