Credit: Gage Skidmore

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz is back serving the people of Florida.

On Tuesday, Gaetz announced his appointment to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors, the powerful body tasked with disbursing massive settlement funds from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to help devastated Northwest Florida communities recover.

Gaetz posted the news on X:

“I am returning to public service! Thank you, Speaker Perez, for this appointment. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue improving the lives of Northwest Floridians.”

The post included the official letter from Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) naming Gaetz to the seven-member board for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030.

I am returning to public service!

Thank you, Speaker Perez, for this appointment.

I look forward to the work ahead as we continue improving the lives of Northwest Floridians. pic.twitter.com/SkzGi11Sc1

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 23, 2026

Triumph Gulf Coast is the nonprofit corporation created to manage and distribute Florida’s share of the enormous economic damages settlement paid by BP after the catastrophic 2010 oil spill that wrecked the Gulf Coast economy, destroying jobs in fishing, tourism, and small business across eight Panhandle counties.

The board oversees roughly 75% of the state’s recovery funds, totaling around $1.5 billion, directing grants for infrastructure, job training, education, and economic development projects that actually help the residents still feeling the effects of that disaster.

Gaetz father, former State Senator Don Gaetz, previously chaired the same board. And during his own service in the Florida House, Matt Gaetz backed the legislation that established Triumph Gulf Coast in the first place.

Predictably, Gaetz’s return to public service is likely to trigger outrage among Democrats and the corporate media, who have spent years targeting one of President Trump’s most outspoken allies. Despite relentless attacks, Gaetz remains a popular figure among grassroots conservatives and America First voters, particularly in Florida’s Panhandle.

Jim Hᴏft Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.

You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft's articles here.

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