Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz says he’s returning to public service, courtesy of an appointment to the Triumph Gulf Coast board.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez appointed the One America News host to the board, a public-private partnership overseeing settlement money to the state from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It later also focused efforts on other disaster recovery in the region.
“It is my pleasure to appoint you to serve as a member of the Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. Board of Directors,” Perez wrote in a letter to Gaetz. “Your appointment is effective starting July 1, 2026 and continues until June 30, 2030. By copy of this letter, I am advising Susan Skelton with the Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. Board of Directors of your appointment.”
Gaetz previously served the Panhandle in Congress, and in the Florida Legislature before that. He resigned from Congress in 2024 after winning re-election, amid a House Ethics Committee investigation and after withdrawing his candidacy for President Donald Trump’s Attorney General.
The Niceville Republican welcomed the opportunity to return back to any type of role serving Florida.
“I am returning to public service!” Gaetz posted on X. “Thank you, Speaker Perez, for this appointment. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue improving the lives of Northwest Floridians.”
Gaetz in Congress was one of President Donald Trump’s most loyal allies on the Hill, and was also a close ally to Gov. Ron DeSantis during his first campaign for Governor in 2018. When those two Florida Republicans ran for President against one another in 2024, Gaetz endorsed Trump.
He was rumored as a potential candidate last year for Governor or Attorney General but ultimately did not pursue either office for long. Notably, Trump’s campaign team also tried to woo Perez to run for Florida Attorney General, but the Miami Republican did not do so.
More recently, Trump nominated Perez to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Brazil.