Paving the Path Forward

Strategic direction guides Panama City Beach’s growth

PANAMA CITY BEACH | Bay County | Pop. 14,047

by Debbie Ingram Ward City of Panama City Beach

The young City of Panama City Beach was officially founded in 1970 – appropriately, in the summer. While many have called Panama City Beach home and visited the white sandy beaches for more than 50 years, the city proper as citizens know it today resulted from the merger of four beach communities: West Panama City Beach, Edgewater Gulf Beach, Long Beach and Panama City Beach.

The city has experienced unprecedented growth over its 50-year history. In 1970, only 1,370 people lived inside the city limits. Today, though the city population hovers around 14,000 full-time residents, the busy summer months can see up to 100,000 visitors and several thousand commuters on any given day. This influx of people has created a demand for more and greater services, from transportation infrastructure, public safety and utilities to parks, housing and commercial development.

Every community needs these plans to serve as a roadmap for the future.

To keep up with the growth and as a means of prioritizing future expenditures and capital projects, the city established its first-ever strategic plan last year. Aligned with the inaugural citizen survey, the plan helped the city establish a business plan and short- and long-range financial plans.

“Every community needs these plans to serve as a roadmap for the future,” said Mayor Mark Sheldon. “Now we look at our big projects to make sure they are meeting our planning goals for transportation, economic development, public safety, quality of life, fiscal responsibility and attractive community. Everything has to fit.”

Despite the pandemic, Panama City Beach is prospering, even without an ad valorem tax, he said. “We are the largest city in the state without a property tax,” Sheldon said.

The strategic plan and the citizen survey revealed the city’s greatest challenge: the need for an improved transportation system. The city is moving forward with long-range improvements with the spring completion of segment two of Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway and the construction of the next three segments of the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area.

A completed portion of the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area.

Photo courtesy of City of Panama City Beach

“Front Beach Road is our main street,” said Sheldon. “We are not a typical city with a downtown area. We have this strip of commercial development and hotels/condos with some residential. Every visitor to our city will be on this road, so it is very important that we make it more efficient and improve mobility. In the busy summer months, it is often gridlocked. We can do better.”

The Front Beach Road CRA, one of the largest in the state, will see the installation of a multimodal transportation system. This includes resurfacing and widening Front Beach Road and other feeder roads; burying utilities; and adding tram/bicycle lanes, sidewalks, lighting, drainage ponds and landscaping. Segment three will include a roundabout at Front Beach Road and State Road 79.

As more segments of the 8.1-mile roadway are completed, the city will look at establishing a transit system to take some vehicles off Front Breach Road. Officials will also look at extending parking.

Breakfast Point Academy students with the dolphin sculpture painted by the school’s fifth-grade art club.

Photo courtesy of City of Panama City Beach

The city also launched its first community art project this year and installed 11 dolphins and sea turtles throughout the city as part of its SeeLife project. The project came to life after last summer's strategic planning process identified a need for more art projects in the community.

Before the strategic plan and just in time for its 50th anniversary, the city completed some long-awaited large capital projects including the construction of a new City l Hall and fire station, both of which were funded with reserve funds.

The new 14,000-square-foot City Hall building opened in 2019 and replaced the former City Hall that had been constructed as a gymnasium in 1970 and converted to offices 10 years later. The new project, which included additional parking, the demolition of two buildings at the municipal complex and the construction of an outdoor gathering place, carried a $3.7 million price tag.

In the summer of 2020, the city opened its third fire station in response to the growing number of calls received by the department. The 15,000-square-foot facility with four apparatus bays is centrally located on the island and just off Panama City Beach. The city is seeking grants and other funding to replace its two other aging fire stations.

A new fire station was completed in 2020.

Photo courtesy of City of Panama City Beach

In addition to infrastructure, the city has taken steps to become a more competitive employer by establishing an online job application system, launching a new website (pcbfl.gov), conducting an extensive employee survey, transitioning to a paid time off system and implementing a 48/96 shift schedule for firefighters. A pay study conducted in 2020 resulted in raises for city employees.

As the city has grown, so has the government. While its residents and the world continue to discover and fall in love with this oasis of emerald waters and sugar-sand beaches, the city works diligently to develop plans that will continue to pave the path forward for this ever-growing city.

“These are exciting times,” Sheldon said.

Debbie Ingram Ward is the communications director for the City of Panama City Beach.