Huge Economic Development Event Comes in October

Get your big hat out and prepare for a storm of huge economic development ideas to come ripping through Northwest Florida October 29 with the Annual Fall Leadership Summit being held at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. There are tons of presentations on the board with big-name speakers such as Jerry Ray from St. Joe, Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos, Alabama Speaker of the House Seth Hammett, Mel Ponder of Coastal Vision 3000 and many others.

Continue reading “Huge Economic Development Event Comes in October” →

New Grand Lagoon Bridge Ground Breaking

With gold shovels in hand and orange hard-hats protecting their heads from the deep blue skies, several big names from Panama City Beach, Bay County and the State of Florida broke ground on the construction of the new Grand Lagoon Bridge and its accompanying roadway on the north and south side of the structure. Years in the planning, the Grand Lagoon Bridge was literally a pipe dream until just recently. Today, in discussion with several people from the Friends of Grand Lagoon, I was told that for a long time, it wasn’t believed that it would ever happen.

Continue reading “New Grand Lagoon Bridge Ground Breaking” →

2010 Travel Projections Put PCB In Demand

Travel predictions for 2010 have been befuddling to say the least; some experts predict tourism to continue to slide, while others see tourism in 2010 increasing, if not exploding out of 2009’s slump. What cannot be denied, however, is that 2010 tourism will be the “Year of the Deal.”

Economic problems of the last two years have crushed the tourism industry all over the US and the world. Few places have weathered the storm as well as Panama City Beach. All around the state of Florida 2009 hotel occupancy and ADR have dropped considerably since 2008, yet Panama City Beach has managed to keep itself in the black ink. In fact, 2008’s total economic impact for Panama City Beach spring quarter yielded 247 million whereas the 2009 numbers surged to 261 million. This trend is as much a sign of the times as it is a paradigm in social transformation as far as the frequent traveler is concerned.

Continue reading “2010 Travel Projections Put PCB In Demand” →