The Triumph Gulf Coast Board approved millions of dollars in grants designed to create new high-wage jobs in Northwest Florida.

The panel approved $65 million in funding this month that will not only create those jobs but is also likely to provide more than 10,000 industry certifications for workers. The grant is earmarked for projects in five different Panhandle counties.

About $12.83 million approved by the Triumph Gulf Coast Board is dedicated to supporting the recruitment of “Project Kilowatt” in Bay County. That project is an advanced marine manufacturing company that develops carbon-fiber hulls for watercraft and electric propulsion vessels.

The company is planning to locate its international headquarters and other operations in Bay County, and the funding will help the county acquire 11.55 acres of waterfront property on St. Andrews Bay. The county will retain ownership of the land leased to the company.

Escambia County is in line for $32.15 million to help expand the University of West Florida’s Institute for Analytics and Industry Advancement, the Center for Cybersecurity and establish a new Center for Computational Intelligence.

Another $3.25 million is dedicated to Pensacola State College and the establishment of a Workforce Development Training Center. That center is designed to increase worker training not only in Escambia County but also in Santa Rosa County.

Franklin County is set for a $250,000 grant from the Triumph Board to establish an aviation and power plant training program at Apalachicola Regional Airport. Haney Technical College will be a partner in the development of that project.

Gulf County is receiving a $6.89 million grant to support a digital tools and technology initiative in the Gulf County School District. The project is designed to train school children from elementary to secondary schools in the county.

And Wakulla County is set to receive a grant of up to $10 million for health care and teacher workforce training programs at the Wakulla Environmental Institute Campus. Negotiations are underway for additional involvement with Tallahassee State College, which submitted the funding request.

Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., was established after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and is designed to augment economic recovery in the region. The Board has awarded more than $754 million in grants since 2018.

The post Triumph Gulf Coast Board gives nod to $65M in grants to Panhandle region workforce development appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..