DeSantis appoints Tampa lawyer to Disney oversight board
A Tampa lawyer and “Jeopardy!” champion will join Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney World oversight board, which is at the center of his nationally watched battle with the world-famous attraction.
DeSantis named Charbel Barakat to the five-member Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
He will replace Michael Sasso, an Orlando attorney who resigned May 22, the day before his wife, Meredith Sasso, was appointed by DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court.
Barakat is vice president and chief counsel for the Florida and Mid-Atlantic regions of D.R. Horton Inc., the nation’s largest homebuilder.
He serves as the vice president of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group. He also serves on the Florida Development Finance Corp. and as a commissioner for the Second District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission, which recruits, interviews and certifies judicial nominees.
“I’m honored to be asked by Gov. DeSantis to serve the people of Florida,” Barakat said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Barakat’s nomination to the Disney board is subject to Florida Senate confirmation.
Barakat won about $30,000 on the “Jeopardy!” trivia show, according to a 2018 report by 10 Tampa Bay.
Board Chairman Martin Garcia praised the appointment of Barakat, who brings nearly 20 years of legal experience in real-estate development and public finance to the role.
“His experience will help the district comply with all applicable Florida laws, develop new governance policies, create more financial transparency, evaluate new urban planning strategies and promote more prosperity for more people in central Florida,” Garcia said in a prepared statement.
Sasso didn't give a specific reason for leaving the board in the resignation letter submitted to the governor. He hasn't returned requests for comment from the Orlando Sentinel.
“The men and women of the district are among the most honorable, dedicated, and decent people I have been blessed to know,” Sasso wrote in his letter to the governor made public Thursday. “It has been an honor to work alongside them in service to the state of Florida.”
Sasso was one of five people DeSantis appointed to the board in late February to replace Disney-friendly members.
That move came as DeSantis battled Disney over its opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Law, which critics called “don't say gay.” The law limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
The dispute is now in court. Disney sued DeSantis and other state officials in federal court, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” The tourism oversight board has countersued in state court.