Governor Rick Scott is weighing in the millions of settlement dollars counties in the Florida Panhandle have received from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil-spill.

The Triumph Gulf Coast board was established to help distribute the settlement money owed from BP to help make businesses and citizens whole after being negatively impacted after millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Florida Gulf.

Gov. Scott wrote a letter to the chair of the Triumph Gulf Coast board chairman, Allan Bense: “In reviewing proposals, I ask that you prioritize projects that create good jobs for families in Northwest Florida, diversify the economy, and have measurable performance standards to determine the projects’ success over time.”

Scott also advised the non-profit organization to manage the funds in a “transparent” manner for the best return on investment for Florida.

During Session 2017, Lawmakers designated $300 million of the $400 million to eight Panhandle counties. The state is still waiting for another $2 billion over 13 years. The Triumph Gulf Coast board with use three-fourths of the $2 billion for Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton counties.

Recently, lawmakers expanded the Triumph Gulf Coast board from five to seven members to provide more representation to less-populated counties.