Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Lewis Bear, Jr. to the Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. Board of Directors.
“Since Hurricane Michael, communities throughout Northwest Florida have faced immense challenges in their recovery efforts,” said Governor DeSantis. “The Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors is focused on overseeing funds to address the economic recovery of some of the most heavily impacted communities and I’m confident Lewis Bear, Jr. will be a champion for that cause.”
Bear, of Gulf Breeze, is the President and CEO of the Lewis Bear Company, a wholesale distribution business in Pensacola. He received his bachelor’s degree from Troy University and is a member of the University of West Florida Board of Trustees. He is the Chair of the Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission. Bear is appointed for the remainder of a three-year term.
Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that allocates funds recovered by the Florida Attorney General for economic damages resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Originally created in 2013, Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. administers the distribution of the funds to be used for the recovery, diversification and enhancement of eight Northwest Florida counties affected by the oil spill. This year, Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. voted to create a Hurricane Michael Disaster Recovery Fund of $15 million to address economic recovery and ad valorem tax losses in Bay, Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla counties.