DeSantis Appoints Two New Members to Disney World Oversight District

25 days ago in "Reedy Creek Improvement District"

Posted: Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed two new members to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the government body that oversees the Disney World area.

Matt Ravenscroft and David Woods will join the board pending confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Reedy Creek Improvement District overview

Matt Ravenscroft Background

Ravenscroft serves as Executive Vice President and Director of Sunrise Bank in Orlando. His banking career includes senior roles at Old Florida Bank, United Heritage Bank, and Citrus Bank.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida.

David Woods Background

Woods practices law at Woods & Woods, P.A., focusing on: Real estate, Wills, Trusts, Estates.

He earned his bachelor's degree in communication and media studies from Florida State University and his juris doctor from St. Thomas University.

Both appointments require confirmation by the Florida Senate before Ravenscroft and Woods can officially join the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.

Brief History of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) was created in 2023 to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which had been controlled by Disney since 1967. Reedy Creek was established to give Disney near-total autonomy over land use, infrastructure, and services within its Florida property.

In 2022, after Disney publicly opposed Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, DeSantis and state lawmakers moved to dissolve Reedy Creek. In early 2023, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 9-B, officially replacing Reedy Creek with CFTOD and giving the state authority over the district's governance. The law also gave the governor power to appoint all board members, shifting control away from Disney.

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EeyoreFan#2416 days ago

Back to just maintaining (insert dramatic pause)……“roads and basic infrastructure.”

lazyboy97o17 days ago

Just because they’re currently rubber stamping doesn’t make it any less corrupt.

MisterPenguin17 days ago

Well, there you go. A denial by the Board. Can we have our perks back? -Firefighters et. al No. -Board.

Dranth17 days ago

WHAT? You mean he wasn't being honest? How can I go on knowing he was full of it?

Chi8417 days ago

Good luck with that.

Dranth17 days ago

Personally I am still waiting for Universals special district to have the Governor appoint members instead of them all being Universal employees. Wouldn't want him to be a hypocrite for going against everything he said about RCID right before the new one for Uni was approved. I'm sure he has just been busy and he will call a special session and get it done any day now!

castlecake2.017 days ago

I read it and have also attended several district meetings. The original batch he chose were all trying to prove a point while the newer appointees are more focused on actual gouvernement business

Disstevefan117 days ago

The worst thing I remember was CFTOD took away perks employees had when it was RCID.

MR.Dis17 days ago

Could some one please remind me of any request that Disney has made that the board has denied, as far as I know there has not been one request denied. So no real effect on how WDW has been run since the change. The only pain Disney has had in the past several years if the constant over evaluations by County Assessor office of WDW properties. From what I have read, every single challenge Disney has made has been upheld. Yet the Assessor office continues with their crusade to make Disney pay more. Just to remind everyone Disney is already the single biggest tax payer in the county.

Chi8417 days ago

It’s not because there’s no reason for him to pretend to hate Disney now.

wdw71fan17 days ago

I'm guessing you didn't read the entire article. Two brand new Desantis appointees are on the board now. Business as usual.

castlecake2.017 days ago

Good riddance, now hopefully the district can get back to actually doing their job

DCBaker17 days ago

According to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District website, Brian Aungst Jr. and Bridget Ziegler are no longer listed as current members of the Board of Supervisors. Their spots have been filled by Matt Ravenscroft and David Woods, who were recently appointed by Governor DeSantis.

UNCgolf24 days ago

I'm sure a few do, but it's very uncommon. As an attorney, I don't know anyone that works at a non-PI firm that does public advertising like bus, TV, or billboard ads. I think business journals are a bit different and you're probably more likely to see something there if they handle something specific to that field, but I still think that's relatively rare.