Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran has established a select committee to oversee the spending of $300 million in RESTORE funds the state will receive next year.
“We wanted to make it very clear by setting up a committee that your money was secure, and it was going to be in the hands of all of your elected representatives who are obviously going to protect it zealously,†he told Inweekly. “The only membership of that committee are the members who represent the affected counties.â€
State Rep. Clay Ingram (R-Pensacola) is the vice chair of the committee.
Triumph Gulf Coast is the nonprofit corporation organized established by lawmakers five years ago to oversee 75 percent of all funds recovered for economic damages to the state that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill for the Northwest Florida. How will the select committee work with Triumph?
“I think that’s a real discussion for this committee: what is the role of the Triumph committee, and what is the role or oversight of the elected officials who represent the people of the Panhandle to ensure that the money is spent in the most effective way for the people,†said Speaker Corcoran.
“I think that’s a big issue that will come before that committee is how do we protect the people of the Panhandle the most? I think historically, from the beginning of time, people are protected the most when those that they have chosen to represent them are empowered.â€
