NICEVILLE - The Triumph Gulf Coast Board met in Niceville this week to approve one grant award agreement and advance four projects to final grant award negotiations, moving forward $65 million in funding to support the creation of 285 new high-wage jobs and over 10,500 industry certifications.
The Triumph Gulf Coast staff continues regular work with grantees on the implementation of 66 active projects, with an additional 17 projects closed, totaling over $750 million in grants awarded since 2018 across the eight Triumph eligible counties.
Bay County
- The Triumph Board voted to advance to term sheet negotiations with the Bay County Board of County Commissioners’ for up to $12,825,000 to support the recruitment of Project Kilowatt, an advanced marine manufacturing company specializing in carbon-fiber hulls and electric propulsion boats. The company will establish its international headquarters, research and development operations, and manufacturing facilities in Bay County with a total capital investment of approximately $37,575,000. Triumph grant funds will support the County’s acquisition of an 11.55-acre waterfront property with three existing facilities and direct access to St. Andrews Bay. The site provides infrastructure allowing Project Kilowatt to start operations quickly to meet surging demand in both defense and commercial marine markets. Bay County will maintain ownership of the land and facilities while entering into a long-term lease agreement with the company.
Project Kilowatt represents a transformative opportunity for Bay County and Northwest Florida by strengthening the region's position in the global marine manufacturing industry. The project will create at least 285 high-wage jobs by 2030 with an average annual wage of $77,000. The company has already secured contracts with the U.S. Navy and others, providing recurring revenue and financial sustainability. Project Kilowatt will partner with local educational institutions including Gulf Coast State College, Florida State University's InSPIRE program, University of West Florida's WAVE program, and Haney Technical School to create workforce development pathways for regional residents.
Escambia County
- The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations on University of West Florida’s grant request for up to $32,151,120 to expand and enhance UWF’s Institute for Analytics and Industry Advancement (IA)²), the Center for Cybersecurity (CfC), and establish the new Center for Computational Intelligence (CCI). Triumph funds will be used in partnership with the state of Florida to expand the new sciences and engineering building, providing additional space for the CfC and CCI, and to renovate the Sciences Annex to house advanced computational research laboratories. In addition to facility expansion, Triumph resources will support the hiring of high-wage personnel and for specialized computational biology, cybersecurity, and AI research equipment over 10 years.
- The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations on Pensacola State College’s grant request for up to $3,250,000 to establish a Workforce Development Training Center. This proposal aims to comprehensively expand PSC short-term, industry-responsive training capacity and provide residents of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with expedited pathways to high-skill, high-wage credentials in critical occupations. Triumph Gulf Coast funding will be used for building renovations to create new classrooms, shop areas, and training labs. The expedited non-credit industry certification training will address skill gaps to improve workforce readiness. The project will result in at least 970 industry recognized certifications.
Franklin County
- The Triumph Board voted to approve a grant award agreement with Franklin Board of County Commissioners’ grant request for up to $250,000 to establish an aviation maintenance and powerplant (A&P) training program at the Apalachicola Regional Airport in partnership with Haney Technical College. The funds will be used for essential facility improvements to convert an existing hangar into a purpose-built training environment, supporting both classroom and hands-on instruction for aspiring aviation mechanics. Establishing an aviation maintenance training center provides direct pathways to FAA-authorized Airframe, Powerplant, and Avionics certifications—careers with starting salaries well above the county average wage. The training program will create new opportunities for students from Franklin and neighboring, underserved areas, leveraging the successful Haney model, which currently operates at capacity. The grant will result in at least 25 FAA certifications over five years.
Gulf County
- The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations on the Gulf County School District’s grant request for up to $6,886,150 to support a comprehensive digital tools and technology initiative. The project will train all of Gulf’s elementary through secondary students with the necessary digital skills to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world. It’s anticipated that 6,000 industry certifications will be earned by students over the nine-year grant period. Triumph funds will be used for personnel, equipment, certification fees, materials and supplies, and professional development. This initiative is expected to substantially enhance academic and workforce readiness in this rural county. Embedding technology into K–12 curriculum will prepare students for additional industry certifications, and open new pathways to postsecondary education and careers. By providing robust technology education, students will gain the digital skills necessary for high wage positions.
Wakulla County
- The Triumph Board voted to advance to final grant award negotiations on Tallahassee State College’s grant request for up to $10,007,946 for healthcare and teacher workforce training programs at the Wakulla Environmental Institute (WEI) campus. The grant will expand healthcare and teacher preparation training, support acquisition of cutting-edge simulation technologies, and address critical skill gaps in rural Northwest Florida. Triumph’s investment will be utilized for personnel, procurement of simulation equipment and classroom furnishings, educational materials and certification fees for students, and advanced instructional software. The project is expected to result in at least 3,695 industry recognized certifications. The teacher training program will use augmented and virtual reality technology to simulate classroom experiences and will embed digital tools certifications in the curriculum to prepare new teachers to seamlessly integrate with Wakulla and Franklin School’s K-12 digital tools and technology programs.
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 Jay Trumbull, Sr. (Chair), David Humphreys (Vice-Chair), Leslie Weiss (Treasurer), Bryan Corr, Sr. (Asst. Treasurer) and Charles Rigdon. All meetings of the Board are public.
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