The Triumph Gulf Coast Board met in Panama City yesterday and approved two new grant award agreements. The Board approved additional funding for an active project, advanced two projects to grant award negotiations, and voted to initiate term sheet negotiations with two new grantees. In total, these projects represent $54 million in funds to be distributed across Bay, Escambia, Franklin, and Santa Rosa counties.
Triumph Gulf Coast continues to work with grantees on the implementation of 54 active projects, with an additional 13 projects completed, totaling over $613 million in grants executed.
Bay County
The Triumph Board voted to advance to term sheet negotiations with the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport for a grant of up to $25,000,000 to implement Project Spinner, an MRO facility for commercial jet aircraft engine repair. In addition to the MRO facility, the company will construct a second building at the airport to house a jet engine testing center and is purchasing a third facility in Lynn Haven to operate a distribution and parts testing facility. Project Spinner will have a minimum of 500 high wage jobs across the three facilities. This project will support the growing Northwest Florida aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul sector. The large employment impact is a transformational project for Bay and surrounding counties.
The private sector partner is working with Space Florida to obtain conduit financing for the project. Triumph funds will be used toward construction cost of the MRO facility. Space Florida will construct and own the facility and lease it and associated equipment to the company on a long term lease. The improvements will become the property of the Airport Authority upon termination of the lease.
Over a ten-year window these jobs will generate approximately $479 million (discounted to present money value) in additional income that stays in the region.
Escambia County
The Triumph Board voted to approve a grant of up to $12,372,935 to Pensacola State for a new Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) training program. Triumph funds will be used toward the construction of a 25,000 square- foot training facility to be located on the southwest side of the Pensacola International Airport on land owned by the City of Pensacola in addition to personnel and other program costs. The project will result in 420 airframe and powerplant (A&P) certified individuals over a 12-year period. It is expected these newly credentialled individuals will help meet the labor force needs being created by companies across the region.
Escambia County Public Schools request for a grant of up to $617,227 to re-establish the Automotive Service Academy at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment advanced to final grant award negotiations. Triumph funds will be used to renovate and equip the former Auto Body building to provide classrooms, hands-on labs, and training locations for the Automotive Service Academy where students will learn through hands-on application of skills as they troubleshoot, diagnose and repair problems, as well as provide routine maintenance on a variety of modern automobiles. This project will have a classroom academic component, but the primary learning environment will be the academy’s automotive service shop and will guarantee completion of 225 Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certificates by the end of the 2029-2030 academic year.
Franklin County
The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners request for a grant of up to $750,000 to contract with a consultant to advise the county on the purchase of a new First Responder Communication System for use by the Franklin County EMS and Fire, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Road Department, Franklin County School District, Weems Hospital, Carrabelle Police Department, and the City of Apalachicola Police Department.
The requested funds will be used for the first phase of a two-phase project. Phase 1 is the procurement and hiring of a communications consultant for up to $775,000. It is likely that a Phase II will follow, for purchase and installation of the system and staff training.
Santa Rosa County
The Triumph Board voted to advance to term sheet negotiations on Pensacola State College’s grant request for up to $7,627,873 for a new Diesel Maintenance Technician training program that will result in at least 2,002 National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications over ten years. The building for Diesel Mechanic Technician training will be located adjacent to the PSC Commercial Vehicle Training Facility in the Santa Rosa County Industrial Park East, providing complementary training opportunities. Santa Rosa County has leased property to Pensacola State College for educational facilities to provide technical education programs.
The Triumph Board gave final approval to a grant of up to $7,164,000 with the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners to develop a new industrial site that will house a distribution and logistics center along Interstate 10 at Exit 26 in Bagdad. The proposed Triumph award will fund acquisition of a 45-acre site, along with needed sewer extension, wetlands mitigation/protection and other improvements necessary to allow construction of a 380,000 square-foot distribution center. For this project, the Santa Rosa BOCC will guarantee 175 jobs paying at least 115 percent of the current prevailing Santa Rosa wage. Land acquisition and improvements, including completion of the building, are expected by the end of 2027.
The Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors is appointed by the Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and presiding officers of the Legislature. The appointees to the Triumph Board are David Bear (Chair), Bryan Corr, Sr., Reynolds Henderson, David Humphreys, Collier Merrill Jay Trumbull, Sr., and Leslie Weiss. All meetings of the Board are public.