Sen. Doug Broxson vows to fight to keep Triumph money in face of challenges

State Sen. Doug Broxson says the Panhandle needs the federal government's help to rebuild after Hurricane Michael.

"It's the most uninsured storm ever to hit Florida," said Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze. "We've got more than $2 billion of timber that's been destroyed. Those are generational problems. They're not five-year fixes. They're 30-year fixes."

More than three months after the storm came ashore, the amount of damage is still being calculated. Broxson, who is chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, said it'll probably be more than $10 billion.

"This storm is too big for Florida," Broxson said. "It really is going to require an allocation from Congress to manuscript a response that will take care of losing a generation of people that have worked to make that part of the state viable."

Many of the counties damaged by the storm are some of the same counties whose economies were hurt following the 2010 oil spill.

Triumph Gulf Coast was formed to distribute 75 percent of the $2 billion settlement with BP over the 2010 oil spill in the eight affected coastal counties. That leaves $500 million — or 25 percent — left in the state coffers to do with as legislators wish. 

Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheanna, filed a bill, numbered HB 191, that would create the Northwest Florida Rural Inland Affected Counties Recovery Fund, similar to Triumph but for the seven rural and mostly inland counties of the Panhandle.

The fund would allow the state Department of Economic Opportunity to provide grants in Calhoun, Gadsden, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty and Washington counties using 5 percent of the $2 billion settlement, about $100 million, out of the 25 percent of the settlement money going to the state.

"The Legislature recognizes that as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the rural inland affected counties of Northwest Florida continue to face extraordinary challenges in significantly improving their economies, specifically in terms of household income, job creation, average wages and strong tax bases," Drake’s bill said.

Broxson, who was involved in the legislative battle to create Triumph, said he supports Drake's bill only if it can pass without opening up the law that created Triumph to amendments or revisions.

Broxson said he is concerned the bill could be used to open the door to other legislators' attempts to use Hurricane Michael as an excuse to change the Triumph law, providing a fresh revenue stream for projects other than economic development in the impacted counties.

"That would be a problem for any of us that worked so hard to make sure that money stayed in the Panhandle," Broxson said.

Broxson said he will fight any attempt to change Triumph in the upcoming legislative session, and that's why he believes the state needs the federal government's help to recover.

Gov. Ron DeSantis made stops in Panama City, Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe on Wednesday, his second trip there since taking office, where he vowed to continue working with federal, state and local officials to help rebuild.

Broxson said he will be meeting with other Panhandle senators and state officials to craft a request of the federal government.

He said he believes it needs to be similar to relief packages passed for Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy.

Broxson said he didn't believe the current problems in Washington with the partial government shutdown will hurt the chances of the federal government taking action.

"That's a sprint," he said. "This is a marathon. … It can be done if we have the will and the courage in Florida to make the asks of the federal government."

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.