Florida House Speaker Danny Perez has appointed former Congressman Matt Gaetz to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board, effective July 1, 2026. His term expires June 30, 2030.
Triumph Gulf Coast was created to administer money tied to the Deepwater Horizon spill settlement and direct it toward the Gulf Coast region. His father, State Sen. Don Gaetz, played as Triumph Gulf Coast board chair after leaving the Florida Senate. Sen. Gaetz served as Chair of Triumph Gulf Coast from 2018–June 2022.
Matt Gaetz left leaving office in 2024 when President-elect Donald Trump announced he would be nominated for U.S. Attorney General. The nomination was later withdrawn, and Gaetz moved into media work, hosting a show on One America News.
Gaetz posted on X: “I am returning to public service! Thank you, Speaker (Daniel) Perez, for this appointment. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue improving the lives of Northwest Floridians.”
Does Matt Gaetz even live here in the Panhandle? Or even in Florida? How is he qualified to sit on this board? Nepotism and good ole boy politics still the practice under this Republican dominated administration. So much for qualifications and merit.