Important News

Milton

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board met this week and approved two new grant award agreements. Additionally, the Board advanced two projects to grant award negotiations and voted to initiate term sheet negotiations with three new grantees. In total, these projects represent $70.5 million in funds to be distributed across Bay, Escambia, Franklin, and Santa Rosa counties. Notably, $10.5 million of the total awarded will support all eight of Triumph’s disproportionately affected counties through a marketing grant to Visit Florida, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Tourism Council (NWFL).

Triumph Gulf Coast continues to work with grantees on the implementation of 55 active projects, with an additional 12 projects completed, totaling over $605 million in grants executed.

Bay County

The Triumph Board voted to approve a grant of up to $24,302,669 for Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) to commence expansion of nursing and healthcare programs at the Panama City campus to meet the growing need for skilled nurses and healthcare providers in the region. The funds will be used for construction, personnel, equipment, virtual reality and electronic resources, and professional development in the establishment of an Inter-Professional Education Simulation Training Center (SIM Center). The project will result in at least 4,312 net new credentials including certifications and licensures. The SIM Center will enable increased enrollment for the associate degree RN, RN-BSN, Respiratory Care, and EMT/Paramedic programs. These degree fields have current job placement rates ranging from 97%-100% and all have a predicted increase in job growth rate over the next decade. Students completing degree programs and passing licensures/certification exams will earn a higher per capita income than the local areas served by GCSC. These salaries are expected to be $20,000 to $30,000 higher than current per capita incomes.

Escambia County

The Triumph Board voted to move to final grant award negotiations with Pensacola State College for a grant of up to $12,372,935 to implement a new Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) training program. Some of the Triumph funds would 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. While the new facility is being built, training will take place in one of ST Aerospace’s hangars at the airport. The project will guarantee completion of 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 such as ST, Leonardo, and Premier Aviation Quebec, Inc., that have all committed to commence and expand operations throughout the Triumph region. All of these companies will lease space in publicly owned facilities enabled by Triumph grant funds.

The Triumph Board voted to begin term sheet negotiations with the University of West Florida for a grant of up to $9,360,221 to establish the Institute for Analytics and Industry Advancement ((IA)2)). The envisioned new Institute will have concentrations in Predictive and Cognitive Analytics, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Automation, and Computing. These areas of focus will advance the research and scientific contribution of UWF, enabling it to move beyond simply teaching college classes, and enable research faculty and staff to provide partnerships with businesses across key industry sectors.

Additionally, The Triumph Board voted to begin term sheet negotiations with Escambia County Public Schools for a grant of up to $617,227 to reestablish the Automotive Service Academy at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment. 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 certificates by the end of the 2029-2030 academic year.

Franklin County

The Triumph Board voted to begin term sheet negotiations with the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners 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 (the “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, however, the current request is limited to Phase I.

Santa Rosa County

The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations with the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners for a grant of up to $7,164,000 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 to be completed by 2027.

Additionally, the Triumph Board voted to approve the First Amendment to Grant Award Agreement to The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners for an additional $5,400,000 to continue development of the Milton Interchange Park project. These additional funds would increase Triumph’s total award from $15,378,683 to $20,778,683; increase the initial job metric by 159 to create 613 new jobs; and extend the time needed to complete the project.

Across the Triumph Region

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board voted to expedite approval of a $10.5 million marketing grant to Visit Florida, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Tourism Council (NWFL), to expand the region’s “Adventure within Reach” promotional effort in Triumph’s eight disproportionately affected counties including Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Wakulla.

The Northwest Florida (NWFL) “Adventure within Reach” promotional effort intends to diversify and enhance the region’s tourism by spreading the benefits of tourism to areas not typically realizing those benefits by promoting visitation outside of the peak summer season and extending seasonal employment into additional months or year-round employment. It will also add resilience to the region’s tourism industry by facilitating the diversification of regional tourism product offerings beyond the beach. The project has the support of all eight county tourism boards and the boards of county commissioners.

Notable Project Updates

In Bay County, Eastern Shipbuilding (ESG) has now created and maintained over 1,000 jobs, exceeding the original job creation metric of 900, as part of the Triumph Grant Award Agreement with the City of Panama City for improvements to the Nelson Street shipyard. Additionally, ESG successfully launched their new offshore patrol cutter (OPC) #1 on October 27, 2023 and is currently in the process of constructing three additional offshore patrol cutters (OPCs). ESG’s commercial business continues to grow as does the workforce to support it. ESG continues to recruit employers to the community to support its commercial and government business.

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 (Treasurer), David Humphreys, Collier Merrill, Jay Trumbull, Sr. (Vice Chair), and Leslie Weiss. All meetings of the Board are public.

Apalachicola

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board met in Apalachicola today and approved three grant agreements, including the largest in Triumph’s history, in the amount of $98,453,615, awarded to The Florida State University to establish the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research & Education (InSPIRE) in Panama City. The total amount of Triumph funds awarded since 2018 is more than $567 million.

Triumph voted to move $30 million dollars in new projects to term sheet negotiations for Pensacola State College’s A&P training program, a new logistics distribution park in Santa Rosa, and expansion of a Visit Florida regional tourism marketing effort furthering its mission of transforming Northwest Florida.

Bay County

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board voted to approve a grant of up to $98,453,615 for The Florida State University (FSU) to establish the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research & Education (InSPIRE) in Panama City, which will serve as FSU’s applied research and workforce development arm in Northwest Florida. InSPIRE’s mission is to accelerate technology innovation, cultivate corporate investment, nurture the growth of new industries, and foster high-skill, high- wage employment opportunities establishing the region as the nation’s foremost hub for aerospace and advanced manufacturing, pioneering in demonstration, testing, evaluation, and research and technology development. Triumph funds will be used for manufacturing and lab equipment – including a high-performance wind tunnel, supplies, personnel and contracted services.

Through strategic alliances with industry and the federal government, InSPIRE aims to anchor novel Research & Development (R&D) projects in the region, with a key emphasis aerospace technology and advanced manufacturing. InSPIRE programs will lead a comprehensive effort across the region to work with educators, employers, and community support resources to extend outreach to create and coordinate a network of K-12 teachers who have been trained to deliver programming with support through content, materials, and regional aspirational connections for student engagement. The network will provide relevant experiences for career paths, relatable mentorship for guidance to support success, and assistance in transitioning across education experiences and completions across the continuum resulting in career placements.

Additionally, the Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations with Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) for a $24,302,669 Triumph grant for the expansion of nursing and healthcare programs at the Panama City campus to meet the growing need for skilled nurses and healthcare providers in the region. The funds will be used for construction, personnel, equipment, virtual reality and electronic resources, and professional development in the establishment of an

Inter-Professional Education Simulation Training Center (SIM Center). The project will result in at least 4,312 net new credentials including certifications and licensures.

The SIM Center will enable increased enrollment for the associate degree RN, RN-BSN, Respiratory Care, and EMT/Paramedic programs. These degree fields have current job placement rates ranging from 97%-100% and all have a predicted increase in job growth rate over the next decade. Students completing degree programs and passing licensures/certification exams will earn a higher per capita income than the local areas served by GCSC. These salaries are expected to be $20,000 to $30,000 higher than current per capita incomes.

Escambia County

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board voted to approve the Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission (PEDC) for up to $6,000,000 to be used in the construction of a 40,0000 square-foot advanced manufacturing research facility to be used by LIFT Technologies, Inc. (LIFT), a public-private-partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense, industry, and academia. The facility, to be constructed by Space Florida on the Pensacola State College campus, will house a new Manufacturing Center of Excellence.

Employing at least 36 people at an average wage of $113,000, LIFT will leverage at least $32 million in new DOD and Federal funding to target research and development priorities accelerating the region’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. The Pensacola facility will provide a range of services including advanced manufacturing R&D and foundational manufacturing training programs.

Additionally, the Triumph Board approved moving forward with term sheet negotiations with Pensacola State College for an up to $12,372,935 grant to implement a new Aviation & Powerplant (A&P) training program. Some of the Triumph funds would 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. While the new facility is being built, training will take place in one of ST Aerospace’s hangars at the airport.

The project will guarantee completion of 420 airframe and powerplant (A&P) certified individuals over a 12-year period. It is expected these newly credentialed individuals will help meet the labor force needs being created by companies such as ST, Leonardo, and Premier Aviation Quebec, Inc., which have all committed to commence and expand operations throughout the Triumph region. All of these companies will lease space in publicly owned facilities enabled by Triumph grant funds.

Okaloosa County

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board voted to approve the Okaloosa County District School’s request for up to $7,850,000 grant to establish the new Okaloosa Technical College North (OTC North) campus in a building adjacent to the Bob Sykes Airport, three miles northeast of Crestview resulting in at least 2,904 in demand high wage industry certifications.

OTC North will offer programs in Advanced Manufacturing and Production, Welding, Electronic Systems, Automotive Service, Plumbing, and Applied Cybersecurity. Triumph grant funds will be used to purchase and renovate the building, hands-on labs, supplies, materials, equipment, curriculum, and certification fees for up to seven years. Dual enrollment for college credit and collaboration with business and industry will help grow a skilled and job-ready workforce.

Santa Rosa County

The Triumph Board vote to begin term sheet negotiations with the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners for a grant of up to $7,191,000 for 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 to be completed by 2027.

Across the Triumph Region

The Triumph Board voted to move to term sheet negotiations with Visit Florida for an up to $10.5 million marketing grant. The grant will enable Visit Florida, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Tourism Council (NWFL), to expand the region’s “Adventure within Reach” promotional effort for the eight counties within the Triumph region: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, and Wakulla.

The Northwest Florida (NWFL) “Adventure within Reach” promotional effort intends to diversify and enhance the region’s tourism by spreading the benefits of tourism to areas not typically realizing those benefits by promoting visitation outside of the peak summer season and extending seasonal employment into additional months or year-round employment. It will also add resilience to the region’s tourism industry by facilitating the diversification of regional tourism product offerings beyond the beach. The project has the support of all eight county tourism boards and the boards of county commissioners.

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 (Treasurer), David Humphreys, Collier Merrill, Jay Trumbull, Sr. (Vice Chair), and Leslie Weiss. All meetings of the Board are public.