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3h ago

DeSantis Taps Disney World President Jeff Vahle for UCF Board of Trustees

Senate confirmation is the next step, signaling relations have thawed since the Reedy Creek dispute.

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Overview

  • Gov. Ron DeSantis named Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle to the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees, with the appointment awaiting Florida Senate confirmation.
  • The unpaid trustee role carries influence over UCF policy, finances, and administration at one of the nation’s largest public universities.
  • Coverage frames the move as a marker of normalized relations after Disney’s 2022 opposition to the Parental Rights in Education law, the state’s replacement of Reedy Creek with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and litigation that settled in 2024.
  • Post-settlement, Disney and state appointees have been cooperating on resort governance and approved development plans, with significant Walt Disney World investments proceeding.
  • Vahle has led Walt Disney World since 2020, joined Disney in 1990, holds degrees from Auburn and Rollins, serves on the Rollins Board and the Florida Council of 100, and has supported Give Kids the World; UCF also has existing ties to Disney through its Rosen College and Disney Aspire tuition program.