Matt Gaetz is returning to public life, and this time it’s closer to home.
The former Florida congressman announced Tuesday on social media that he has been appointed to a state board, marking his first formal return to public service since leaving Washington late last year.
Gaetz shared an image of the official appointment letter in his post, thanking Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez for the opportunity. “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,” he wrote.
According to a report, Perez’s appointment letter names Gaetz as a member of the Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. Board of Directors. His term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030.
Triumph Gulf Coast is a nonprofit corporation that administers funds recovered by the Florida attorney general connected to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The organization oversees roughly 75 percent of those economic damages funds, directing resources toward the recovery and development of eight Northwest Florida counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, and Wakulla.
The board funds a range of initiatives, including job training programs, infrastructure improvements, education projects, and broader economic development efforts across the region. It has also taken on other disaster recovery work over the years.
The seven-member board draws appointments from several state officials, with one appointment each from the governor, attorney general, and chief financial officer, and two each from the Senate president and House speaker. Board members serve without pay.
Gaetz represented Florida’s 1st congressional district from 2017 until November 2024, building a reputation as a firm supporter of President Donald Trump’s agenda during his time in Congress.
His exit from the House came quickly after Trump’s election to a second term. Gaetz was tapped as the nominee for U.S. attorney general in November 2024 and resigned his congressional seat shortly after the announcement. The nomination did not hold, however, as he withdrew from consideration following pushback from Republican senators.
Since leaving Congress, Gaetz has been working in media. He launched The Matt Gaetz Show in January 2025, a weeknight political talk program airing on One America News Network.
The Triumph Gulf Coast appointment now gives him a formal civic role once again, this time focused squarely on the communities he represented for nearly eight years.