The Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors gave unanimous support of $8.5 million for infrastructure improvements to Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County on Wednesday, July 18.
“This project will create hundreds of new aviation-related jobs not only for our citizens but for employment throughout the region,†said Commissioner Don Salter, District 3. “As important, Whiting Aviation Park provides for sustained compatible development on a 267-acre parcel on the fence line of NAS Whiting Field, enhances military value and improves the overall efficiency of operations as maintenance of the many aircraft can be performed adjacent to the base, meaning less downtime for the aircraft.â€
Salter added, “This has been one of our county’s number one economic development projects for many years and it would not have been possible without the support of the Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors.”
The next step for the Whiting project is agreement on a term sheet that will be brought back to the Triumph board for approval. The site development at Whiting Aviation Park is expected to create over 200 high-paying jobs. The total project cost is $17.7 million with Triumph contributing 48 percent of those costs.