We’ll Take ‘Who Is on the Disney Board?’ for $200, Alex. DeSantis Fills Vacant Seat with Jeopardy Champion

Well, that didn’t take long at all. Just a few days after Michael Sasso resigned from his position on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has found someone to take his place. Governor DeSantis went all the way to Jeopardy to find Sasso’s replacement.

Charbel Barakat will replace Michael Sasso on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors. pic.twitter.com/gQgjgcdAOy

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 1, 2023

Governor DeSantis named Charbel Barakat to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board today to replace Sasso. Barakat is vice president and chief counsel for the Florida and Mid-Atlantic regions of D.R. Horton, Inc., the nation’s largest homebuilder. Barakat is also vice president of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group.

Besides his work as a Tampa lawyer, Barakat also won $30,000 on Jeopardy.

In a statement released by Governor DeSantis’ office, Barakat said:

I’m honored to be asked by Gov. DeSantis to serve the people of Florida. I hope to help bring additional efficiency, safety, and accountability to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District so that it may better serve the common good.

Sasso left his seat on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board last week, shortly after DeSantis named his wife to the Florida State Supreme Court. Sasso did not give a reason for his resignation.

These changes come at an inopportune time for the Board and DeSantis. Disney has sued both of them, and the case is still pending. The Judge in the case recused himself just today. DeSantis has asked that the case against him be thrown out, but that will be up to the new Judge to determine.

The Walt Disney Company sued the Board and DeSantis for retaliating against Disney for speaking out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature stripped Disney of its self-governing district and installed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in its place.

Since its inception, Walt Disney World has been governed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This development agreement between Disney World and Florida allowed Disney World to attend to nearly all its needs the same way a government would.

After Disney spoke out against Florida’s “Don’t say Gay” bill, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature created this new board to oversee Disney World. Before the new board took over, Disney struck an agreement with the Reedy Creek Improvement District, essentially stripping away all its power.

Disney is using DeSantis’ own words against him, taking clips from his public remarks and pieces of his autobiography in its court filing. DeSantis announced last week that he would be running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. His announcement was full of glitches as Twitter Spaces kept crashing during his opening remarks.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.