A shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing project that city officials say would create 2,000 jobs in Pensacola moved forward Wednesday after the board of Triumph Gulf Coast voted to negotiate a proposed $76 million grant for the development.
“This project will change the trajectory of our city for generations to come,” Mayor D.C. Reeves said in a prepared statement. “I promised careers for our hardworking taxpayers. Today shows that we are delivering on that promise.”
The vote authorizes Triumph staff and attorneys to negotiate a term sheet with the City of Pensacola for Project Maeve — a preliminary agreement that would set conditions, timelines, performance targets and financial safeguards before any final deal is brought back to the board for approval.
The city also identified the company behind the proposal as Birdon America Inc., a maritime engineering and shipbuilding firm with an existing footprint on the central Gulf Coast. Birdon already operates a shipyard in Bayou La Batre in Mobile County, where it builds vessels and performs repair work for federal customers, including the U.S. Coast Guard. The company acquired the 32-acre Bayou La Batre yard in 2023 and has since announced additional investment there, according to public statements and regional business reporting.
City officials have said the project would create 1,437 jobs with an average annual salary of about $68,000 and 563 jobs averaging roughly $112,000.
The proposal calls for two new industrial buildings at the city-owned Port of Pensacola, totaling about 400,000 square feet and built in phases. The first phase would include a panel line and module fabrication facility for cutting, shaping and welding steel ship sections. A second phase would add a larger assembly building capable of handling more complex components.
City officials estimate the total project cost at $275 million. Under the proposal, Triumph funding would be limited to building construction. The city would retain ownership of the facilities as public infrastructure and lease them long term to Birdon.
Other costs — including equipment purchases and site work — would be covered through a combination of company investment and other funding sources, including a pending request to the Florida Department of Commerce, according to the city.
