Year: 2008

The Future: It's More Than Building a New Airport

Again, I quote in its entirety, from Ed Wright:

As construction of the new airport proceeds on schedule, it is clear that we need to get busy putting all the other pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together. Approval of the airport relocation was key to approaching the vision for the West Bay Sector Plan and to realize its many different benefits to the region.

The following are thoughts about just some of the things that need to be underway:

The preservation of West Bay, by setting aside nearly 40,000 acres of conservation land, established a remarkable and unparallel public-private partnership and opportunity.

  • Currently the leading edge of this conservation effort is the planned Audubon Nature Center. The communities of Bay and Walton Counties and businesses and residents need to get behind the Audubon Society’s efforts to make this world-class Nature Center a reality. It has enormous potential for education, reputation, conservation, tourism, and (yes) economic development as well.

A coordinated growth and land use plan for development that involves the counties adjacent to Bay County and contiguous to the West Bay Sector Plan is needed.

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Jerry Ray Discusses New Airport on HomeAwayPodcast.com

Jerry Ray, the Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances for the St. Joe Company, was interviewed this week on the HomeAwayPodcast site. The topic of discussion was the new airport and what it is going to do for our area.

Jerry starts by giving an account of the history of St. Joe and where it all began. He continues by giving the history of the airport relocation project, how it all started and discusses the process it has gone through thus far.

You can listen to it by downloading it, or listen to it online.

Letter from Delta – "sharp economic downturn"

Last week as I was on vacation, Delta sent a letter to frequent flyers, warning that we will see a “sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices.”

The rest of the email reads:

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.

Click the more link to read the rest of the letter.

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High Fuel Prices + Major Airlines + Weak Economy = Catastrophe

I came across this paper talking about the effects of record high fuel prices could have on the US Airline industry.

The title actually reads: Record-high Fuel Prices +Major U.S. Airlines + Weakened U.S. Economy = A Catastrophe. I shortened it to save space.

The paper talks about an top energy analyst at Goldman Sachs is predicting that we’ll see oil at $200 a barrel within 24 months. With the price of oil twice what it was just a year ago and 4 times as much as it was in 2000, the price of oil rising is certain to have significant effects on the United States Airline industry.

In 2000, the cost of fuel was around 15% of the average airline total operating cost. Today, it is around 40% of the average airline total operating cost. This is greater than the cost of labor or the cost of plane leases.

Click the more link for a link to the entire paper.

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25th Bay Point Invitational Tournament Makes History

Tournament Pays Out Nearly $1 Million and Marks Silver Anniversary with Success of New Community Events

Panama City Beach, Fla. (July 14, 2008) – The Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament made history as 47 boats headed out to fish in the first major all-release billfish tournament on the Gulf Coast. The highly-anticipated tournament welcomed more than 10,000 attendees at Bay Point Marina July 9–13 to enjoy the live entertainment, an artist colony, local food, sponsor displays and, of course, the Friday and Saturday night weigh-ins.

Life is Good took top honors in the Catch and Release category with three blue and one white marlin released for 2050 points. The team walked away with $210,960. Second place went to Wynsong with one blue marlin and one sailfish. Wynsong also captured first place in the Tuna category with a 105.5-pound yellowfin tuna caught by Will Wilson for a total of $208,246, and third place, based on the time of release, went to Jolly-B with one blue marlin for $53,250.

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Tropical Storm Bertha update

Ok, back to work, Jason.  My vacation has put me a little out of touch, but I really needed it.

The second named storm for the Atlantic Season, Tropical Storm Bertha, with winds at 65 mph, is beating up on Bermuda right now with projections leading it to the east, deep into the Atlantic by Saturday.

Tropical Storm Bertha poses no threat to the Panama City Beach area at this time.

Click the more link for the report from Weather.com

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2008 Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament Results

Held in Panama City Beach at the Bay Point Marina.

I arrived back in town at the tail end of the 2008 Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament; just in time for the final weigh-ins tonight. No records were broken, but some big fish came in nonetheless.

Click the more link for pictures and the final results from tonight’s weigh-in.

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Better education necessary to diversify Bay County economy

JuliannBy: Juliann Talkington

Juliann Talkington is the administrator of the Panama City Renaissance School. Reach her on 850-215-8712 or jtalkington@pcrschool.org.

With the state of the economy in Bay County, we are all searching for ways to improve conditions. People talk wistfully about the new airport and what it will do for the area. The champions speak about more tourists, more permanent residents and high-quality employment opportunities.

With rising gas prices and a nationwide recession, many people are starting to wonder how realistic these projections might be. Even though it would be nice to think Bay County is insulated from tough economic conditions elsewhere, it is probably unrealistic. Like other tourist-based economies, Bay County suffers when outsiders don’t have extra money to take vacations.

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SAVE THE CIRCUS!!

Well, I had heard that it wasn’t doing that great, but I didn’t know that it was possibly being shut down. What are they doing to be sure the local tourists know about this? Is our local TDC helping? Has the circus asked for help? I see their signs in all the windows, but are they providing enough information to draw people over to the circus? Are the show times even on the flyers?

If something isn’t doing good, it either isn’t being accepted or whoever is marketing it is not doing their job. I’m sorry to be critical at this sensitive time, but we’ve all been yelling for more stuff to do here and now one of the things we got is threatening to leave. Is everything being done to ensure its success?

Below is the press release put out by the Beaches Chamber:

Panama City Beach, July 7, 2008 – Last Thursday night I took my young son to the FSU Flying High Circus at Frank Brown Park. The show was incredible and we had a great time, but as I drove home a déjà-vu sensation hit me, and I remembered the last evening of the Miracle Strip Amusement Park – in late summer 2004. That was an enchanted evening, full of rides, laughter, people…but it was also sad. There was the sense of the passing of time…. nostalgic, sweet but heartrending. After that night it would close down forever. My own family, who has lived in PCB for-almost ever, was with me and introduced me to Buddy Wilkes that night. I couldn’t have known what he must have been feeling. I had only just moved here weeks earlier and had not yet acclimated to the culture, the community, or the multitude of childhood memories existing within the walls of that amusement park.

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