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.

This summer, a group of elementary teachers from Wakulla, Gulf and Santa Rosa counties participated in a one-of-a-kind professional learning course offered by Florida State University’s InSPIRE initiative, part of a $98M grant from Triumph Gulf Coast. The course, titled Engaging Elementary Students Using AI-Powered Storytelling, taught teachers how to use artificial intelligence (AI) and prompt engineering to create and enhance stories and informational texts with an aerospace theme for their students. The course covered the fundamentals of natural language processing and machine learning, the ethical and social implications of AI, and the integration of literacy and STEM best practices.

The course was led by a team of experts from FSU’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI), who have extensive experience in developing and delivering STEM education programs and resources. The teachers interacted with guest speakers from Microsoft, GE Vernova, Lockheed Martin, and visited the FSU High-Performance Materials Institute and Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion. They learned about the latest innovations and applications of AI and aerospace technology, and how they can “InSPIRE” their students to explore potential careers in these fields.

Each teacher earned an industry certification in Microsoft Office and a 35-hour AI Educator professional learning certificate and badge from Microsoft and FSU. They also gained access to curriculum and resources designed for use with students on exploring AI foundations and aerospace innovations on CPALMS.

FSU has made a monumental investment to establish the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, and Education (InSPIRE) in Northwest Florida to spark the region’s research and development landscape in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. This effort is in partnership with industry leaders in these fields, local governments, educational institutions, and with funding from Triumph.
The institute will enhance FSU’s capacity to conduct both secure and open research for aerospace and defense industries and boost local economic growth through high-paying jobs and educational opportunities.

A significant component of InSPIRE is its educational outreach program led by Learning Systems Institute which aims to increase STEM knowledge and industry certifications in the region. The initiative will launch new workforce training and education programs with a focus on aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors. These programs are designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to InSPIRE their students to be ready for high-demand jobs in these growing industries, ensuring a lasting impact on the community’s economic and educational landscape.