The Triumph Gulf Coast Board met in Pensacola yesterday and approved three new grant award agreements. The Board advanced one project to grant award negotiations and voted to initiate term sheet negotiations with two new grantees. In total, these projects represent $32 million in funds to be distributed across Escambia, Franklin, Santa Rosa and Walton counties.

The Triumph Gulf Coast staff continues regular work with grantees on the implementation of 55 active projects, with an additional 14 projects closed, totaling over $632 million in grants executed.

Escambia County

The Triumph Board voted to approve a grant of up to $617,227 to Escambia County Public Schools to re-establish 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 with modern equipment and hands-on labs for the Automotive Service Academy. Students will troubleshoot, diagnose and repair vehicles, 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.

The Triumph Board voted to advance to term sheet negotiations University of West Florida’s (UWF) grant request for up to $3,320,000 to start up a Center for Water and Vessel Engineering (WAVE). The WAVE program will be located primarily at the Port of Pensacola. It will serve as a research and development center for vessel engineering and related fields by connecting UWF faculty with organizations such as the American Magic. WAVE will leverage existing UWF expertise in material science, computational fluid dynamics, human performance, non-destructive material evaluation, design for manufacturability, control systems, data science, as well as other related fields. WAVE will also serve to connect UWF engineering and technology students to watercraft industries in Escambia County as well as other coastal counties in Northwest Florida. WAVE will include a facility to support the production of custom assemblies and unique hull designs required for the development of technologically advanced sailing vessels and high-speed watercraft. The WAVE team will support the design of new sail configurations, foils, and hulls made from sustainably sourced materials. The WAVE center will give the region a competitive advantage when recruiting new companies who are interested in co-locating with industry leaders such as American Magic.

Franklin County

he Triumph Board voted to approve a grant of up to $750,000 with the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners 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. 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 on final approve for a grant of up to $7,627,873 to Pensacola State College (PSC) 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.

Walton County

The Triumph Board voted to advance to term sheet negotiations on Walton County Board of County Commissioners’ grant request for up to $20,152,671 to purchase a new County-wide P25 interoperable land mobile radio (LMR) system. While this project does not propose a new business or create jobs, a reliable public safety communications system is paramount to businesses wanting to expand or locate in Walton County. The county’s emergency responders such as law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services and emergency operations are using an emergency communication system and devices (radios) that are aging, and incapable of supporting emergency needs. The current LMR system is operating at full capacity, supporting 1,172 users. Walton’s existing radio towers, constructed in 2000 and 2012 do not meet State Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) standards for capacity and coverage. The new proposed LMR network will have high-capacity transmission, and will achieve the coverage, capacity, and interoperability requirements that support both current and continued population, business, industry, and visitor growth. The Okaloosa and Bay County systems will be interoperable with the new Walton County system should any one of the three need capacity in an emergency situation.

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.