TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis made good on his promise, and appointed five members of the newly-reformatted version of Walt Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, after signing the state-run takeover of the district into law.
The board, which was renamed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, includes three members from the Tampa Bay area and two from Orlando.
Among the appointees is Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, conservative nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in schools. She is also the current chairwoman of the Sarasota County School Board.
In recent news, Ziegler was one of the driving forces for the removal of Sarasota Schools superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen, who was removed from office amid tensions with board members just before Thanksgiving.
Rather than be fired, Asplen resigned. The board members voted to allow Asplen to resign. In December, Ziegler said after he made “fiery” remarks that there was no path forward to work together.
Ziegler was reelected to her seat last August.
Other board members from Tampa Bay appointed to serve on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District include Martin Garcia, an attorney from Tampa who will serve as chair and Brian Aungst, Jr., a Clearwater attorney.
The two members from Orlando are Ron Peri, the chairman and CEO of The Gathering USA, an evangelical ministry, and Michael Sasso, a lawyer serving as the chair of the Sixth District Court of Appeal Nominating Commission and trustee at Valencia State College.
The new board members are expected to meet on March 8, according to statements from the governor Monday morning. They’ll have to be confirmed by the Florida Senate during the March legislative session.