NICEVILLE, Fla. (WMBB) – Former United States Congressman Matt Gaetz is stepping back into public service.

On Tuesday, Florida Speaker of the House Daniel Perez appointed Gaetz as a member of the Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors. Triumph Gulf Coast was created in the aftermath of BP and Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon Oil spill, which killed eleven workers and leaked millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Gaetz’s father, Florida District 1 Senator Don Gaetz, previously served as Chair of Triumph Gulf Coast.

Triumph Gulf Coast has awarded millions in grants to affected counties in Florida. Bay County was recently awarded a 12M grant for “Project Kilowatt”.

Gaetz resigned from US Congress when he was nominated for Attorney General by President Donald Trump. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration after it became apparent that there were not enough votes for confirmation.

At the time of his resignation, Gaetz was under congressional investigation for allegedly transporting a minor over state lines to have sex with her.

That investigation ended when Gaetz resigned from Congress. He was never criminally charged.

Since leaving Congress, Gaetz has worked as a talk show host for the conservative One America News network.

His term on the Triumph Gulf Coast board will run from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030.

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