\n
![](\"https:\/\/content.fortune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24073542869565-e1710410808171.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
The shakeup of Walt Disney World\u2019s governing district more than a year after\u00a0it was taken over<\/a>\u00a0by Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 appointees continued Wednesday with the departure of its board chairman who had been highly critical of Disney.<\/p>\n Martin Garcia\u2019s departure as chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is coming a week after the district\u2019s administrator, Glen Gilzean,\u00a0left to accept an appointment<\/a>\u00a0by DeSantis as interim elections supervisor in Orange County, the home of Orlando, at half his district\u2019s $400,000 salary.<\/p>\n Martin didn\u2019t respond to an email and phone message seeking comment on Wednesday. He was appointed by DeSantis last year to a term that was supposed to expire in February 2027.<\/p>\n In an email, DeSantis\u2019 communications director, Bryan Griffin, thanked Garcia for \u201csuccessfully navigating\u201d the transition of the district from a governing body controlled by Disney supporters to the current iteration controlled by DeSantis appointees.<\/p>\n Garcia \u201cdeveloped a new district focused on transparency and the elimination of corporate welfare,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n The Republican governor also recommended that a former senior advisor, Stephanie Kopelousos, be named the district\u2019s new administrator. Kopelousos was a director of legislative affairs for DeSantis and previously served in other administrations of Florida governors.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are glad to see her step into this leadership role as the District embarks upon the next chapter in its efforts to ensure an even and transparent playing field for the businesses that operate in Central Florida,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n Since the takeover last year, the district has faced an exodus of experienced staffers, with many in exit surveys complaining that the governing body has been politicized since the changeover, and lots of litigation. The district provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and mosquito control, among other things, and was controlled by Disney supporters for most of its five decades.<\/p>\n A fight between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022 after the company, facing\u00a0significant internal and external pressure<\/a>, publicly opposed a state law that critics have called \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay.\u201d The 2022 law banned classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades and was championed by DeSantis, who used Disney as a punching bag in speeches until he\u00a0suspended his presidential campaign<\/a>\u00a0this year.<\/p>\n As punishment for opposition to the law, DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a new board of supervisors.<\/p>\n Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees, claiming the company\u2019s free speech rights were violated for speaking out against the legislation. A federal judge\u00a0dismissed<\/a>\u00a0that lawsuit in January. Disney has appealed.<\/p>\n A separate lawsuit over who controls the district is still pending in state court in Orlando.<\/p>\n A settlement agreement<\/a>\u00a0over the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d legislation was reached this week between Florida education officials and civil rights groups that had challenged the constitutionality of the law on behalf of parents, students and others. The law remains intact, but the deal spells out that the Florida law doesn\u2019t prohibit discussing LGBTQ+ people, prevent anti-bullying rules based on sexual orientation and gender identity, or disallow Gay-Straight Alliance groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n