Ron DeSantis has announced the appointment of Charbel Barakat to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.
- Barakat’s appointment comes just a few days after Michael Sasso resigned from his position on the board.
- Barakat is the Regional General Counsel for D.R. Horton, Inc. and he currently serves as a Commissioner for the Second District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission.
- He also serves on the Florida Development Finance Corporation.
- Barakat is Vice President of the Federalist Society for the Tampa Bay Chapter and Chairman of the Volume Builders Council for the Florida Home Builders Association.
- He earned his bachelor’s degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University and his juris doctor from New York University School of Law.
- Coincidentally, Barakat is also a former Jeopardy! champion, winning an episode back in 2018.
- Barakat joins the following board members:
- Martin Garcia (Tampa attorney)
- Bridget Ziegler (member of the Sarasota County School Board)
- Ron Peri (CEO of The Gathering USA)
- Brian Aungst (Clearwater attorney)
More on Michael Sasso’s resignation:
- Sasso was one of the five original board members hand picked by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis upon the passage of the bill to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
- Asked about how he chose his appointments, DeSantis said he selected a board with a variety of experience, including business, local government, and those who “want to see Disney be what Walt envisioned”
- According to Greg Angel of Spectrum News 13, Sasso, a Seminole County lawyer, resigned from his board position last week.
- No reason has been given for Sasso’s resignation, however, earlier last week, DeSantis appointed Sasso’s wife, Judge Meredith Sasso, to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.