The new members of the board that govern Disney World property said Wednesday they would be making "big changes" in the months ahead.
"You will see a lot of changes that are going to occur, and many of those are because we have been lawfully mandated to implement those changes," said Martin Garcia, the board chair of the newly formed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The board was overhauled by sweeping legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as punishment after Disney publicly challenged Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. In its first meeting, board members dealt with typical municipal government issues: calls for better firefighter equipment, lessons on public records requests, and bond ratings.
Garcia said the major distinction between the old board controlled by Disney and the new one appointed by DeSantis will be a broader constituency encompassing more than just a single company, instead also representing workers and residents of surrounding communities.
"You didn't elect us, but the people of Florida elected a governor who appointed us," Garcia said. "I see there will be much broader representation."
The other new board members included Bridget Ziegler, a conservative school board member and wife of Florida Republican Party chairman Christian Ziegler; Brian Aungst Jr., an attorney and son of a former two-term Republican mayor of Clearwater; Mike Sasso, an attorney; and Ron Peri, head of The Gathering USA ministry.
They replaced a board that had been controlled by Disney during the previous 55 years that the government operated as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
"This district is going to be about oversight, transparency and accountability for all of the citizens of Florida," said Aungst.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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