North Florida Beach News

Santa Rosa Beach Voted One of Best Beach Destination for 2011

2011-02-27T05:50:00.000+10:30

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
by Kate Hamlin

Santa Rosa Beach Florida which comprises the area known as Scenic 30A or the Beaches of South Walton is located between Destin and Panama City Beach. The sand is white, the area abounds with world class "new urbanistic" communities and the waters are sparkling white turquoise. It's no surprise that Yahoo has just voted Santa Rosa Beach one of the best beach destinations for 2011 stating:

"Although this entire gallery could be filled with Florida beaches, there is one in particular that caught our eye this year. Recently celebrating its centennial anniversary, Santa Rosa Beach, and its long stretch of untouched sand and calm seas offers a quiet escape on the Hogtown Bayou. Though the lapping waves and cool sand are the main attractions, there is plenty to do inland, such as shopping, fine dining, and golfing, and exploring the town's many art galleries and nature trails. As one of the 13 communities of South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach is now easily reached by flying into Panama City's new airport."

Magnificent beach front homes are available for weekly rentals and while Santa Rosa Beach commands pricey rates, the homes are often large enough where the expense can often be split by several families for the beach vacation of a lifetime in paradise. Looking for beach homes for rent in Florida? Check this one out!

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-04-11T03:15:00.001+09:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

“What we are creating in West Bay is a new central business district for Bay County,” said Kevin Johnson, St. Joe vice president of economic development. “This is the largest mixed-use facility in the United States of America.”

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

St. Joe has a timeline to complete infrastructure for the first 100 acres at the new industrial park adjacent to the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport by about mid-2011, Johnson said. Another 300 acres are planned to be ready by the end of that same year, he said. Eventually, 1,000 acres will be developed for industrial, flex-commercial office and retail use.

The timetable is an estimate because of the magnitude of the project, Johnson said. In the next three years, St. Joe hopes the state will release money to move State 388 to better facilitate the airport.

“This is not like baking a cake – there is no timing on it,” Johnson said of the project. “What we want to do is get all the ingredients so that when the time is right, we have all the necessary ingredients to bake the cake.”

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is actively courting particular companies, using a Dallas real estate group whose corporate clients St. Joe hopes to attract. To draw attention, St. Joe is targeting trade writers to tour the new airport and, beginning Tuesday, plans to make presentations directly to specific companies, Johnson said.

Bay County is best positioned for aerospace and defense industries, followed by transportation and logistics, financial, health services and environmental, Johnson said. St. Joe hopes to see a cluster of aerospace firms at the new airport. That means a focus on education and advanced training and research, he said.

The local workforce is only one element on which Bay County plans to focus, Watermeier said. The alliance recently revealed a comprehensive plan that looked at everything from ready-to-build sites and existing structures to telecommunications and infrastructure needs.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

“Don’t just turn on the sunshine light — that’s not enough,” Johnson said. “We have to change how we compete and you can’t do it by standing still. We have to think about how we compete for jobs. We can’t just wait for them to come.”

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-04-04T03:15:00.001+09:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-03-28T04:15:00.001+10:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-03-21T04:15:00.001+10:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

Putting its money where its land (and airport) is

2010-03-19T13:34:00.001+10:30

March 18, 2010

Behind St. Joe Co.'s headquarters relocation: Putting its money where its land (and airport) is

Wake up and good morning. What's Jacksonville's loss is the Florida Panhandle's gain. St. Joe Co., for decades the largest private land owner in Florida (now passed by, I believe, by Plum Creek Timber Co.), is relocating its headquarters near Jacksonville 300 miles due west to the Panama City area of Florida's Panhandle, moving it closer to a new, St. Joe-inspired international airport opening in May. (Photo: St. Joe's Watercolor beach development on the Florida Panhandle.)

There are several story lines here:

* First, Jacksonville is taking a big hit by losing a large corporate headquarters. The Florida city, not unlike Tampa Bay, is not exactly swimming in large, higher-profile companies, though locals say St. Joe has never been much of a local community booster in Jacksonville. Still, any time a large company moves, people start sniffing for something fishy (not necessarily the region's aromatic paper mills). Why did they move? What's wrong with Jacksonville? Keep in mind Tampa Bay just took a big hit this year with the soon-to-leave headquarter's move of Walter Energy to Alabama. St. Joe's market value is $2.7 billion, while Walter's is $4.73 billion.

* Second, St. Joe is consolidating its influence and focusing it on the region of Florida where it owns the most land and where it is most development-focused. Consider the brand new airport opening in two months outside Panama City. It's called the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Well, St. Joe rebranded the Florida Panhandle, aka the Redneck Riviera, as Florida's Great Northwest (a Panhandle local reminds me) years ago. St. Joe provided the land for the airport. St. Joe is moving its HQ near the entrance of the new airport. St. Joe is developing the many cares it still owns adjacent to the airport. And St. Joe convinced Southwest Airlines to use the new airport by agreeing to cover any early losses the airline may sustain. That's clout. And, of course, Southwest's jets and a bigger airport suddenly means a far larger swath of America will have direct and quick access to the Panhandle, which previously was served by a smaller airport offering far more limited geographic service.

* Third, like most real estate developers, St. Joe has been beaten up by the recession and collapse of the housing bubble. St. Joe started developments rapidly in the past ten years, trying to leverage its beachfront and nearby property to appeal to upscale buyers of second homes and vacation houses. St. Joe got hit hard a few years ago and announced layoffs and delayed certain developments until the economy showed signs of coming back. Clearly, moving its headquarters to the Panhandle is a vote of confidence that St. Joe believes that part of Florida still has plenty of potential.

So tough luck, Jacksonville. We feel your pain. As for Panhandle leaders, folks are thrilled, according to the Panama City News Herald . "It’s a heck of a show of faith and trust in the region that the corporate executive team of St. Joe wants to go to our churches, dine in our restaurants, send their children to our schools and make that commitment to Northwest Florida,” State Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, told the paper.

This is a significant power shift, economically and politically, for the Panhandle.

-- Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-03-14T04:15:00.001+10:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

Acclaimed planner to visit Seaside Florida

2010-03-12T13:25:00.000+10:30

Designer of Truman Show town will lead AECC workshop on Bridge of Don plans

By Joanna Skailes

Published: 11/03/2010

The designer of a Florida town featured in the 1998 film The Truman Show will be in Aberdeen next week to lead discussions on plans for a new community on the Granite City’s northern outskirts.

Planner Andres Duany will head an eight-day design workshop for a proposed 7,000-homes community at Grandhome and Whitestripes in the city’s Bridge of Don.

Potential buyers, residents and other interested parties will be involved in the workshop at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. The Grandhome proposal is being considered as part of the city’s local development plan.

The design exercise, called a charrette and part of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative, aims to encourage active involvement from the local community.

It will be the first time in the north-east that the voice of the local population will have such strong input into the future of a major housing development.

Mr Duany designed and planned Seaside, which was the setting for The Truman Show, a parody of the American dream. Mr Duany also helped found the Congress for the New Urbanism in 1993, an anti-sprawl movement dedicated to reviving cities and building sustainable communities.

Mr Duany, who will arrive in the Granite City next Tuesday, said: “I am looking forward to my visit to Aberdeen.

“Scotland has an excellent reputation for town planning – you have to poke around only a bit to find a masterful old place. Of course, recently there have been some terrible influences – American-style suburban sprawl among them – not to speak of the obsession with untested invention which undermined the new towns, and that has not yet tailed off.

“Being a blank canvas, Grandhome could go either way, or it can become the model project that the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative is now fostering. Some of the better young Scottish architects and planners will be involved, so we will probably get it right.”

The charrette will feature major public lectures and smaller gatherings for specialists to discuss infrastructure and environmental issues around the site.

Presentations will be held next week on Tuesday and Saturday in King’s College Conference Centre at 7pm and 11am respectively and on Tuesday, March 23, in the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

Anyone wishing to attend a session should contact Jas Atwal on mail@jasatwal.com or 07961104171.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1641493?UserKey=#ixzz0hvXtubC6

Panama City Beach Airport Article in New York Times

2010-03-11T09:29:00.001+10:30

New York Times International Airport Article

Date: 3/10/2010

From today's New York Times, an article on the new Florida Beaches International Airport.

Airport Built, It's Time to See if the Traffic Comes
March 10, 2010, 5:19 AM

The first new international airport in the United States in more than decade is set to open in May near Panama City, Fla., a community of 37,000 people on the state's panhandle. That is no small feat given the environmental, regulatory and financial hurdles involved in building runways and terminals, as well as community opposition to planes flying overhead.
But the airport, Northwest Florida Beaches International, is also noteworthy because it is perhaps more of a real estate project than an effort to address a pressing transportation problem, The New York Times's Susan Stellin writes. Backed by a major Florida landowner, it is part of a plan to create "a new national and international destination," as one investor presentation proclaims, in a relatively sleepy region of beaches, barrier islands and wetlands.
"Silicon Valley at one point was out in the middle of nowhere," said Britt Greene, president and chief executive of the St. Joe Company, the Florida developer that donated the land for the new airport and is the driving force behind the project. "We think we can do the same."
St. Joe, once primarily a timber and paper company, has shifted to development and real estate, and owns hundreds of thousands of acres of land in northwest Florida. The airport property, northwest of Panama City, occupies just a fraction of the company's 75,000-acre West Bay sector plan, which envisions 27,000 residential units, 490 hotel rooms, 2 marinas and 37 million square feet of commercial space that would bring tourists and entrepreneurs to the panhandle.
The existing Panama City-Bay County International Airport handles 11 departures a day, with about 160,000 departing passengers a year. Projections sketched out by the airport authority years ago anticipated that a new airport with a longer runway would entice airlines to schedule bigger planes that would nearly triple that passenger number by 2018 - including some international flights.
Regulatory hurdles were cleared, legal challenges from environmental groups were overcome and construction began in January 2008. Then the economy collapsed, casting the airport project in a different financial context.
Critics argue that there was never a need for a new airport - especially one that will cost more than $300 million - and that construction problems have caused the environmental damage they had predicted, The Times said.
Proponents counter that the airport is a long-term bet on northwest Florida's future, and that competing to attract businesses and tourists requires a transportation infrastructure that better connects the panhandle with the rest of the world. The airport will have space for customs and immigration facilities and runways long enough to handle any eventual overseas flights.
It may be years before anyone finds out which viewpoint is right. But in the meantime, both sides can point to evidence that bolsters their version of events.
St. Joe and the airport authority scored a coup late last year when they persuaded Southwest Airlines to begin flying to Panama City through a deal that ensures the carrier will not lose money on the service for three years.
Starting May 23, Southwest will operate two daily nonstop flights to Baltimore, Houston, Nashville and Orlando. Delta now flies to Panama City from Atlanta and Memphis, relying on regional partners to operate the flights.
"Our job, and our challenge, is to build a market - a market that heretofore has not existed," said Bob Montgomery, vice president for properties at Southwest. He said the routes were chosen based on research that residents in those markets have second homes near Panama City, which they would visit more often if they could take affordable flights rather than drive.
The Baltimore route would link military personnel and contractors in the Washington area with installations near Panama City, like Eglin Air Force Base, which fits St. Joe's strategy to attract aerospace companies to the Panhandle.
But Southwest's arrangement - a first for the low-fare carrier - means it is hedging its bet on the region and can pull out if the routes do not prove to be profitable. "We weren't in the position to take a huge amount of risk ourselves," Mr. Montgomery said.
Mr. Greene, of the St. Joe Company, said the Southwest deal was well worth the passengers he expects the airline will bring to the area, visitors who will fill hotel rooms, shop at stores and possibly buy second homes in developments his company has planned or has already built.
"Tourism will grow as a result of Southwest connecting us to the rest of the nation," he said. "Our new dominant strategy is economic development and job growth."
Not everyone in the community believes that vision will pan out. Among the most vocal of those skeptics is Don Hodges, a retiree who worked in airport development for Delta for decades and describes himself as "not an opponent, but certainly a vocal critic" of the way the new airport has been handled.
"It's been oversold, underdesigned, undermanaged and now botched as a construction project," said Mr. Hodges, who lives in Bay County. "They've got layers of construction experts who have not been able to deliver on what layers of planning experts promised."
Mr. Hodges has raised his objections in detailed posts on his blog and on various news sites, mostly taking issue with the need for a new airport but also documenting environmental damage that has occurred during construction. Much of the land where the airport is being built is wetlands, with creeks flowing nearby, and heavy rains have caused flooding on the property and storm water breaches that have muddied the waterways, leading to fines of more than $350,000 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
That possibility was why the Natural Resources Defense Council filed two lawsuits to block the project, though the group lost those legal challenges. "Unfortunately, a lot of what we were concerned about has come to pass," said Benjamin Longstreth, a senior lawyer with the council. "Filling all these wetlands we thought and continue to think really jeopardizes the health of the ecosystem in West Bay - for an airport that was entirely unnecessary."
Randy Curtis, the airport's executive director, disputed the idea that the old airport could have been modified to accommodate larger planes, citing residential neighborhoods and the nearby bay as barriers to extending the existing runway. The new airport will have a 10,000-foot runway, longer than the two 7,000-foot runways at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Mr. Curtis acknowledged that managing storm water was the airport's biggest challenge, but said that once the system for filtering and treating storm water was finished it would exceed regulatory requirements.
"Once the airport is completed and constructed, you'll actually have a net environmental improvement in the area," he said, referring to the conservation easement St. Joe agreed to in order to mitigate the effects of building the airport on wetlands.
As part of its West Bay sector plan, the St. Joe Company promised to set aside 41,000 acres as a nature preserve, though environmental groups note that so far only 10,000 acres have been legally given this status, leaving the remaining parcel's fate uncertain.
"What we had wanted them to do was create a written document where they legally put the land in a conservation trust though an easement," Mr. Longstreth said. "They also could give it to an entity like the Nature Conservancy, but none of that has been done. It's simply protected by the creation of a county plan that could be changed at any point."
Go to Article from The New York Times »

Seabreeze Jazz Festival - Panama City Beach Event

2010-03-07T12:58:00.001+10:30

Seabreeze Jazz Festival - Panama City Beach Event -
April 16 - 18th, 2010

A full lineup of award-winning artists are ready to hit the stage at the Gulf Coasts annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival. Pier Park sets the stage for a jazzy, all-star weekend, April 16 - 18, expected to draw music lovers near and far.

Location: Pier Park Ampitheater
Festival Starts Friday at 5:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday at 9:00AM
$130 Weekend Pass (Good for Fri-Sun)
$80 Single Day Ticket (good any single day)
(event is Rain or Shine with no refunds)

0.5km
0.5mi

Pier Park Ampitheater

St. Joe Company Reveals West Bay Timetable

2010-03-07T04:15:00.001+10:30

From: News Herald 3/6/2010

PANAMA CITY — St. Joe Company is gearing up to promote West Bay as a premier location for industries and plans to have infrastructure in place before 2012.

Johnson spoke to a packed room of more than 200 government and city leaders during the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly First Friday event.

“The most exciting news is they have a timetable and they are investing in infrastructure,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director.

The date release is exciting for economic officials because it indicates the industrial park will become a reality, Watermeier said.

St. Joe is working with the alliance to develop incentives to attract businesses, Johnson said. He would not give any specifics about what St. Joe wants in any incentive package.

“We want to be able to respond to the bottom-line needs (of companies),” Johnson said.

Bay County has relied on beautiful beaches to build its tourism industry, but sugar sand and green water isn’t enough to draw diverse, high-wage companies and keep them, Johnson said.

Foreclosures Abound

2010-02-20T11:49:00.001+10:30

Have you dreamed of a home on the Beaches of South Walton? Bank Owned Foreclosures are finally hitting the market on 30A and Unique Panhandle Properties is on top of it. We have a new Foreclosure listings website that is coming soon.

For now, follow Debbie's daily picks of Beach Foreclosure Bargains on Twitter or on our temporary Foreclosure Bargain webpage.

Panama City Beach Airport Update

2008-11-18T06:44:00.000+10:30

Date: 11/13/2008

Construction Update - 11/13/08

by NewPFN on November 17, 2008

Construction Update
November 13, 2008

Construction on the new Panama City/Bay County International Airport remains at least three months ahead of schedule.

Forty percent of the heavy civil contract time has been used and the job is approximately 53% complete.

Runway 16-34:

The first lift of asphalt base is complete on Runway 16-34. The second lift of asphalt base is nearly 50% complete.
Concrete should begin to go down on the runway in early December.
Lighting work on Runway 16-34 is approximately 24% complete.

Taxi Way D:

Earthwork is almost complete.
Asphalt paving and lighting work is ongoing.

There are currently 110 pieces of equipment on site and 160 workers.

Additional milestones:

5 million cubic yards of material has been excavated to date which is 90% of the expected total.
30,000 linear feet of storm sewer is in place (95% of total).
35,000 tons of asphalt is in place.
Concrete paving of Runway 16-34 is now expected to begin in early December.
The terminal parking lot is 80% complete.
The project is meeting all interim milestones.
The terminal building contract is underway.

WMBB Reports on Foreign Trade Zone Effort

by NewPFN on November 13, 2008

WMBB recently filed a news story on the Airport Authority’s effort to make the new airport a Foreign Trade Zone. The story, in part, said:

The new Bay County Airport hopes to boost local economy by adding a Foreign Trade Zone.

At the last Airport Board Meeting the Board authorized staff to pursue application for a Foreign Trade Zone for the new Bay County International Airport, which is currently under construction.

An FTZ would provide incentive to bring in companies. When companies ship materials, they have to pay a tax on them. Many times the taxes on the individual components end up costing them more than the completed good. With a Foreign Trade Zone the companies can import the raw materials, assemble the product, and then only pay a tax when it leaves.

And more companies means more jobs.

The complete story (including video) is available here.

Florida’s Top Transportation Official Tours Airport Site

by NewPFN on November 12, 2008

The Panama City News Herald reported that Florida’s top transportation official toured the new airport under construction. It was the first time she has visited the airport since its groundbreaking a year ago.

According to the News Herald report, Florida Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos toured the new site just north of County Road 388 with state Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City.

Patronis told the News Herald “she was overwhelmed” by the progress.

Patronis added that the site tour was a way to allow Kopelousos to “get her arms around the scope” of the new airport, which is being built on about 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site, with ample room for expansion.

Airport Authority Seeks Free Trade Zone Status

by NewPFN on November 11, 2008

Press Release

AIRPORT AUTHORITY DIRECTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TO SEEK FOREIGN TRADE ZONE STATUS FOR NEW AIRPORT

Panama City, FL (Nov. 10, 2008) – The Panama City – Bay County International Airport Authority has directed Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis to evaluate the options for establishing a Foreign trade zone at the new international airport currently under construction in West Bay.

“The airport board believes it is important to establish a Foreign Trade Zone at the new airport in order to maximize its economic development potential,” said Airport Authority chairman Joe Tannehill. “Having a foreign trade status at the new airport will put us in another category altogether and be an important differentiator in competing for new jobs and business expansions.”

The action taken by the Airport Authority is in consideration of extensive statistics documenting the importance of foreign trade to the Florida economy. It noted that establishing a Foreign Trade Zone at the new Panama City - Bay County airport would make the new facility one of 10 airports in Florida.

Airport board members agreed that Foreign Trade Zone in West Bay would benefit the community and the region by facilitating and expediting international trade, providing special customs procedures as a public service to help firms conduct business, encouraging and facilitating exports, attracting offshore activity, assisting state/local economic development efforts and creating employment opportunities.

The action taken directs Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis to begin immediately preliminary work to create a Foreign Trade Zone at the new international airport in WestBay.

Specifically, the board asked Curtis to develop options for the airport board to consider concerning the size and boundaries of the trade zone, including a discussion of the costs and benefits associated with each option presented. Further, the board asked Curtis to investigate public/private partnerships to stimulate intermodal infrastructure development.

Florida Trade Facts:

The U.S. is the world’s largest trading nation, exporting nearly $1.3 trillion in goods and services and more than one-fifth of the growth in U.S. GDP depends on exports. (1)

Manufacturing exports support an estimated 5.2 million jobs, including 1 in 5 manufacturing jobs, and jobs supported by goods exports pay 13-18% higher than the average wage. (2)

More than 30,000 companies export from Florida locations, including more than 28,000 small and medium-sized businesses. (3)

Florida’s export shipments of merchandise in 2007 totaled $45 billion, up 80 percent from $25 billion in 2003, ranking sixth among the states in terms of total exports in 2007, and exporting to 222 foreign destinations. (4)

1 - Office of the United States Trade Representative, 2005 data (latest available).
2 - Office of the United States Trade Representative, 2002 data (latest available).
3- International Trade Administration and Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division (2006 data).
4 - Revised Origin of Movement State Export Series, Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division (2007 data).

Contact:
The Panama City Bay County International Airport
Randy Curtis, Executive Director, 850-763-6751 ext. 203

Piers going in at Pier Park

2008-08-09T02:00:00.002+09:30

Date: 8/8/2008

Construction Update - City Pier at Pier Park

Posted August 7, 2008 @ 7:05 pm by Jason Koertge,

Moving along as scheduled, the city pier at Pier Park is still set to open spring 2009. With the main platform going on now and pilings being driven as they move out into the water, the pier is definitely beginning to take shape.

Construction is “top-down” construction, meaning there will be no barge with a crane in the water driving piles. The crane will “crawl” across the top of the piles that it puts in in order to put the next series of piles. I thought this was pretty cool, as it allows them to continue work even if they have rough seas. Delays will be less likely.

The final design will be around 1,500 feet long and 26 feet off the water. The super-structure design will be different then the last design and should better survive a hurricane or other severe weather. The platform on top of the piles that will be the walkway will not actually be attached to the piles, rather just resting on top of them. Each platform weighs about 600 lbs and will have a setting that will keep them in place, but if significant force should put pressure on them (i.e. hurricane force winds, storm surge, or very rough seas), they can become displaced or even come off completely. This minimizes the damage to the piles (the expensive part) and preserves the overall super-structure.

This all sounds good in theory, but does it actually work? The short answer, yes, it does. Baskerville Donovan has built this design before, and has had the opportunity to see the results of their design after a hurricane. When Ivan hit Gulf Shores as a category 3 Hurricane in September 2004. The Pensacola Pier (designed and constructed by Baskerville Donovan) sustained only $45,000 in damage. The Dan Russell Pier, 100 miles away sustained over $1 million in damage.

The county pier still has yet to begin, I’ll have more information on that soon, but I think it has to do with the EPA and turtle season. Stay tuned.

Will New Panana City Beach Airport become and Aerotropolis?

2008-07-20T00:54:00.001+09:30

Date: 7/19/2008

Officials want $330 Million airport to be 'aerotropolis'
By S. BRADY CALHOUN, Florida Freedom Newspapers
2008-07-18 12:03:00

PANAMA CITY - Panama City-Bay County International Airport officials want the new $330 million facility to be an "aerotropolis" that draws international flights and business to West Bay.
To meet that goal, airport leaders are in discussions with several international carriers and have hired John Kasarda, a scholar, author and the man who coined the term "aerotropolis."
Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis said airport officials are in talks with several airlines in Canada and England. He described the discussions as ongoing but declined to name the airlines.
Bill Cramer, the vice chairman of the Airport Authority, confirmed the discussions but also declined to name names.
"They're not willing to go on the record," Cramer said of the airlines.
However, he added the airport's new hire will be instrumental in bringing in those international flights and other businesses.
"I don't think it's out of reach," Cramer said. The area's port, rail system and upgrades to highways will attract carriers that don't service the existing airport, he added.
"We're strategically placed to be a player in the international freight business," Cramer said. "It's not just about passenger traffic. That's a big part of it, obviously. But it's about maximizing economic benefits of this new airport."
Earlier this week, the authority agreed to pay a $5,000 monthly retainer and all travel expenses for Kasarda. Under the terms of the one-year deal, Kasarda will work for up to 16 days and make presentations to the media and public.
The presentations would show "the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport and the surrounding area represent the best way forward for Northwest Florida, both economically and environmentally," according to information provided by the authority.
Kasarda will collect $2,900 a day for any days worked over 16 each month.
He also is tasked with professionally promoting and marketing the new airport in conference presentations around the world and in airport-related publications. Kasarda also will "synergize the new airport with surrounding development to increase air passenger and cargo," "create a new airport-centric destination model" and "improve the Panama City airport experience of its air passengers."
According to his resume, Kasarda has done consulting work for airports in Memphis, Tenn., Washington, D.C., Kansas City and Detroit, as well as Brazil and India. In 2005, he was tapped to consult the U.S. Government Accountability Office on costs of adapting U.S. airport infrastructure and facilities to meet the needs of the Airbus A380.
Kasarda was out of the country Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
Kasarda is "the pre-eminent expert on economic development around airports," Cramer said. "He's most noted ... for his development of the concept of the aerotropolis."
On his Web site, Kasarda describes the aerotropolis as an engine for economic development that attracts aviation-linked businesses, including hotel, entertainment, retail and corporate headquarters.
An aerotropolis stretches for 20 miles outward from the airport and will be similar to a traditional metropolis, Kasarda wrote.
"Although most aerotropolis development to date has been spontaneous and haphazard - spawning congestion and environmental problems - in the future it can markedly improved through strategic infrastructure and urban planning," Kasarda wrote.
"The real question is not whether aerotropolises will evolve around major airports (they surely will)," Kasarda wrote. "It's whether they will form and grow in an intelligent manner, minimizing problems and maximizing returns to aerotropolis businesses and residents."

Rosemary Beach and Watercolor Starbucks to close

2008-07-18T11:21:00.001+09:30

July 17, 2008

Full List of U.S. Store Closures

As we announced on July 1, 2008, Starbucks will close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. beginning this month and continuing through the first half of FY09. Partners in the stores listed below have been personally notified that their store has been slated to close during this timeframe.
In the spirit of transparency with our partners, customers and communities, we have provided the full list of stores below for general information purposes. Store partners will receive advance notice and more details from their leadership team once a specific closure date has been confirmed.

Full List of U.S. Store Closures http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/USStoreClosureInfo.pdf.
This list is provided solely for general information purposes, and does not create any obligation or commitment by Starbucks Coffee Company with respect to the closure of any particular store. This list is based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information. Actual store closures may differ depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks related to finalization of third party agreements, expected costs savings, income tax and other benefits associated with the store closures in the anticipated time frame, if at all. Starbucks undertakes no obligation to notify third parties of such changes.

Panama City Beach Airport - Authority must build public trust.

2008-07-18T00:02:00.000+09:30

EDITORIAL: Airport Authority must build public trust

July 17, 2008 08:49:00 AM

Panama City News Herald

A recent Airport Authority meeting might have determined the paving material for the new runway, but the process has left some feeling even more unsettled about the project. And though a number of Bay Countians will continue to object to the new airport, the Airport Authority members should take care not to sour relations with county residents any further.

Tuesday's special meeting was held to discuss the length and construction materials for the runway of the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport being built at West Bay. Plans currently call for an 8,400-foot concrete or asphalt runway, but the board is also considering extending the runway to 10,000 feet. An option for a crosswind runway is also on the table.

James Finch said that his company, Phoenix Construction, was ready to move forward with laying down the runway and he absolutely would not wait because of concerns about rising gas and material costs.

However, Airport Authority Chairman Bill Cramer indicated that he wanted to postpone the decision until bids for the terminal building, the rental car center, the air traffic control tower and other projects at the new airport are tendered in three weeks time.

Things came to a head with Finch telling the authority members, "I'm going to file a claim on your ass." Cramer shot back asking Finch where on the board's anatomy the claim would be filed, and asking airport attorney Franklin Harrison if there were legal grounds for Finch to file a claim on their posteriors.

Dramatics aside, Finch's point is valid.

Time equals money in construction, especially as labor and construction-related costs continue to increase.

However, Cramer was right to call for more time to consider the options because of concerns that the board would be basing its decisions on inadequate information and possible jeopardizing other projects at the airport.

Rushing ahead with decisions without having a complete financial picture is a sure recipe for nasty surprises down the road.

Concrete might be the best long-term option, with a 40-year life as opposed to only a decade for asphalt. But if Cramer's concerns about future cutbacks because the board committed to spending the extra money pan out, the Airport Authority won't win any converts for the relocation project. Deciding the issue on Aug. 8 still put the board ahead of the September deadline for notifying Phoenix about the runway length and materials. As Cramer rightly said, the primary obligation of the board should be looking out for the public trust.

Just look at the tone of the Bay District Schools budget debate in the face of a $20-million shortfall that came after the School Board committed the district to building two new schools before the state budget was finalized.
And Finch's statement that he had brought the project several weeks ahead of schedule at the request of certain airport officials, and not the entire board, can only stir up more bitterness and resentment among those still holding to the ignored 2004 non-binding referendum against relocation.

There were likely no shady backroom deals. But the project involves taxpayer dollars and that means the board must ensure all its decisions are made above board in a responsible manner.

Alys Beach Article in Huntsville Times

2008-07-13T08:07:00.000+09:30

Tough, green and beautiful

Sunday, July 06, 2008

By DEBORAH STOREY

Times Travel Editor deborah.storey@htimes.com

Florida's Alys Beach could be wave of future for resort towns

ALYS BEACH, Fla. - When the midday Florida Panhandle sun is blazing down on the buildings of Alys Beach, the notched roofs glow a crisp white.

But as the sun drifts west, roofs and white walls soften to a dusty pink, then lavender, and finally gray just before nightfall.

Impressionists understood light changes a scene, and the landscape of the newest development along Walton County Highway 30-A proves it.

In a region that boasts some of the most groundbreaking architecture in the country - Seaside's pedestrian-friendly New Urbanism was once revolutionary - Alys Beach is the next big thing.

It's the first "fortified town" in the country.

Designers planned it to withstand hurricane-force winds that have flattened Florida buildings for generations.

Basic construction relies on cinderblocks, steel rods and spray foam, buttressed by windows that can withstand a gunshot. No wood. No shingles.

It's not only tough - it's green. White roofs are 400 percent cooler, designers say. Streets have cobblestone and gravel for less runoff, so 35 percent of rainfall filters into the ground. Buildings are aligned to keep Gulf breezes flowing. A 21-acre nature preserve is on the property. Landscaping uses indigenous plants. Buildings are certified by the Institute for Business and Home Safety.

It sounds well-intentioned, but - ugly. Far from it.

The few buildings finished so far are beautiful, with those gleaming white Bermuda-style roofs, white walls suggestive of Greece and open courtyards like those in Antigua and Guatemala homes.

And the beautiful Caliza (Spanish for limestone) Pool and surroundings could be a Hollywood movie set.

When complete, the 158-acre resort town will have more than 600 villas, courtyard homes and family compound retreats.

"We're about four years into a 20-year buildout plan," said spokesman Mike Ragsdale.

The development is master-planned by Duany Plater-Zyberk of Miami.

Andres Duany has said, "Alys Beach may well be the most truly innovative community under construction in the United States today - and it will eventually be imitated everywhere, I am certain."

He gets to brag - he's called one of the top five most influential people in home building by Builder magazine.

Seaside village

The general feel they were going for was an Italian seaside village with retail and shops (to come) on the ground level. Eventually, Alys Beach will have public plazas and fountains like its neighbors along 30-A. An amphitheater should be finished later this summer.

National media are taking notice. Ragsdale said Discovery Channel scheduled a visit to explore the hurricane-resistant idea.

One of the largest saltwater pools anywhere opened March 1 at Alys Beach.

Caliza is a 50-by-100-foot saltwater pool, next to a 75-foot lap pool, children's wading pool, and heated spa with colonnades, cabanas and fountains.

And here's another futuristic touch. The lap pool has an iPod port where swimmers can hear their favorite music underwater.

Many of the homes - which start at about $1.9 million - have private owners but are now available for rent. They have impressive features such as Dominican shellstone, subzero stainless steel refrigerators, Mexican beach pebbles on the shower floor, reclaimed red gum finishes, custom courtyard designs with waterfall fountains and more.

"This is the first full season we've had an effort to extend our rental program," said Ragsdale.

The growing community has ongoing events such as stargazing with an astronomer, sandcastle building, fashion shows, costume parties and more. A digital arts festival on Labor Day weekend will show images on those smooth, white building walls.

Alys Beach is developed by EBSCO Gulf Coast Development Inc., a subsidiary of EBSCO Industries, headquartered in Birmingham and one of the 200 largest private companies in the country.

"We have owned this property since 1978," Jason Comer, town founder of Alys Beach, said in a message to potential buyers. "We have owned our personal Walton County residences since the '40s. And all along we have been watching and learning from the exceptional community developments along 30-A."

Tradition does seem important - Alys was Comer's grandmother's name.

A building rescued from nearby Seagrove Beach was moved seven miles to Alys. Seagrove Village Market owners George and Ann Hartley will open George's in it this summer. Piper's is already serving hot dogs.

Panama City Beach is only about 15 minutes away. Seaside's shops and activities are close by, as are some of the best restaurants in the Panhandle. And there's always that white Panhandle beach.

"At the end of the day, people like to explore the little amenities around here," Ragsdale said.

Rosemary Beach Article on St Louis Post

2008-07-13T08:05:00.000+09:30

Date: 7/12/2008

Rosemary Beach, Fla., is a laid-back enclave

By Jackie Hutcherson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Published on: 07/07/08

"We're addicted to bocce," said Ken Gifford, a resident of Rosemary Beach. "Lawn, sand and extreme. In extreme, it's anywhere you want to throw it. Anything in the street is fair game, except through someone's window."

Jackie Hutcherson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch / MCT

(ENLARGE)

Rosemary Beach is a planned community whose appearance is often compared to New Orleans or Charleston.

Jackie Hutcherson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch / MCT

(ENLARGE)

The town center features a mix of dining and shopping.

So here we are, playing a sunset game of beach bocce as the surf tries to bury our target — a little yellow wooden ball called a pallino — in the sand. This is the place where a bocce tournament is front-page news in the "Rosemary Thymes."

Yes, it's that laid back here, but that was the plan. Here's a look at the community's brief history and things to do in-between bocce breaks.

Rosemary Beach was created in 1995 on Florida's gulf coast, between Destin and Panama City on Scenic Route 30A. One cachet is that it has a ZIP code — 32461 — that Google recognizes as neighboring Sunnyside.

On beachfront property that was about to become a trailer park, Patrick Bienvenue and the Rosemary Beach Land Co. bought the 107 acres with another plan in mind, said Gifford, who is also vice president and managing director of Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Co. The inspiration for it came from classic beach towns such as Seaside. Many may know Seaside as the set of "The Truman Show," with its new urbanist style of cookie-cutter beach homes and uniformity.

But the town named for the rosemary herb growing wild in the sandy paths gave the look a new twist.

"Here the colors of the homes are natural colors, [and] the landscaping is indigenous to the area," Gifford said. "And there are no palm trees brought in. They weren't indigneous to this area."

The look of the homes in Rosemary Beach brings to mind architecture you would see in New Orleans, St. Augustine, Charleston, S.C., and the West Indies. You'll see homes in shades of dune gray, chocolate, Spanish moss, sage green, pecan, fall straw and Atlantic spray. Deep eaves provide shade from the afternoon sun. High ceilings draw breezes through houses. The homes are close together and streets are narrow, which encourages visitors to park the car and walk. It's pedestrian friendly, meaning it's flat and virtually nothing's more than a five-minute walk away.

Nearly 570 homes have been completed, and the community has 206 rental cottages and carriage houses. This fall, Hotel Saba, located in the town center, is set to open with 53 guestrooms.

EAT AND RIDE

It doesn't get much better than riding a bicycle and eating a butter-pecan ice-cream cone, at the same time. This is a great way to learn your way around the town. The Bamboo Beach & Bicycle Co. rents bikes for all ages; rates average $20 a day for an adult bike rental. And the Sugar Shak can supply you with a cone or a malt, candy or real sugar-cane stalks for snacking.

After the ice cream, burn it off by taking an eight-mile ride to Deer Lake State Park. It's worth it to see a rare coastal dune lake. It is an estuary, allowing saltwater and freshwater to continually exchange and flush out the lakes, creating some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They are characterized by the intermittent nature of this connection to the Gulf. When the water level, through rain or other inflow, reaches a certain critical height, the lake will "blow out" and release its water into the gulf. At that point, seawater may enter to create an estuary.

A boardwalk across the dunes to the beach has native plants, including scrub oaks and spoonflower.

MORE DELIBERATE MODE

Another way to see the town is by walking the 2.3-mile landscaped trail that is both a sand path and boardwalk. It has four fitness stations and winds past homes, four public pools and common green spaces. Take a rest stop at the Butterfly Park, which includes a guide to the 15 kinds of butterflies found in Rosemary Beach and what they eat. Cabbage whites, monarchs, long-tailed skippers and zebra swallowtails are some of the butterflies flitting around dining on nectar from herbs, honeysuckle fuchsia and purple pincushions.

PLACES TO DINE

• Wild Olive: It's a market as well as a bakery and deli with lunch and tapas menus. Try the fried green tomato BLT ($7.95). 1-850-231-0065

• Summer Kitchen: Beach casual spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner for the family. Established in 1999, this was the first restaurant opened in Rosemary Beach. The Arnold Palmers (half lemonade, half tea) flow freely here. Owner-chef James Dillon's menu includes pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and salads. Try the black bean and rice roll-up ($6). 1-850-231-6264

• Cowgirl Kitchen: Where beach meets West. It's a little bit of Texas in Rosemary Beach. Where else can you have a Mexican or veggie taco, or a mini-Belgian waffle for breakfast? And the soup of the day? "Whatever mama feels like making" is what the sign says. www.cowgirlkitchen.net

• Cafe Thirty-A: If you must drive somewhere for dinner, this is where you should go. Named for the scenic Florida highway, this is a white-tablecloth restaurant with a menu that includes fresh fish from the gulf as well as wood-oven-fired pizzas. www.cafethirtya.com

Panama City Beach Piers

2008-07-13T08:03:00.000+09:30

Panama City Beach Piers

Date: 7/7/2008

Pier into the future

By JEREMY MORRISON, Florida Freedom Newspapers

2008-07-07 15:11:00

PANAMA CITY BEACH - The old pier's gone, with a new one to come. In between, waves wash and county officials await permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Bay County's M.B. Miller Pier was demolished earlier this year. The 470-foot-long structure, damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Dennis, will be replaced with a pier more than three times that length.

But before construction may begin, the county must obtain DEP permits, which is expected to happen by November.

"If they need the full 90 days, they'll take it," Assistant County Manger Bob Majka said of the state's permitting process. "If they get done earlier than that, we could see something earlier."

The county is awaiting a joint coastal permit, which allows the pier to extend farther into the gulf. Also, a submerged land lease for the additional 1,000 feet must be obtained from the state.

"We've got to have the physical footprint in the water," Majka said.

Even if permits are issued earlier than expected, Majka said construction of a new pier will not begin until January. The same construction company, Shoreline Foundation Inc., is building the new Panama City Beach pier a few miles down the sand. That project, already in progress, dictates the start of the county's construction.

The Panama City Beach Public Work's Department cites the tentative completion date for the city's pier as July 2009.

Majka said the county's construction should be well under way by next summer.

"We would want to have the upland portion done no later than June because of turtle season," he said. "At that point, we'll be in the water."

Majka said the county's target finish is January 2010.

The two piers, built with the same designs, will mirror each other. County and beach officials got a deal on the pair.

"We saved a bunch of money by the city and the county bidding them out together," Bay County Commissioner Mike Thomas said in April.

The two-for-one project was put out to bid last August. Shoreline was the lowest bidder, promising both structures for about $7.6 million each.

Because of the hurricane damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering the dollar equivalent of the old 470-foot pier, or $1.7 million. The county also is applying for an additional $2.1 million from the federal government in recognition of the pier being built in a more hurricane-durable manner. The new structure will feature breakaway decking.

Fishing also should be better 1,500 feet out into the water. Stretching beyond the second sandbar, it should provide access to king mackerel, bonito and redfish.

The twin piers will be the longest along Florida's Panhandle. Pensacola Beach's pier, the basis for these structures, is 1,471 feet. In Alabama, the pier gracing Orange Beach edges a bit farther into the gulf at 1,510 feet.

Endangered Turtles Face Many Obstacles

2008-07-13T08:02:00.000+09:30

Turtles have a Difficult Time on Walton Beaches

Date: 7/7/2008

Endangered turtles face many obstacles

July 7, 2008 - 10:02AM

Lori Ceier Walton Sun

As we spend our days off sunning on the beaches, many of us do not realize that we are sharing the habitat of many creatures great and small. The beach is alive with crabs, shells, birds and something you might not notice with an untrained eye… sea turtle nests.
Each year from May through October there are four species of Florida sea turtles that nest locally in Walton County – Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback and Kemp’s ridley. All of them are either threatened or endangered.
Females nest every two to three years, laying several nests on sandy beaches. After digging a hole and depositing about 80–120 eggs, the females fill in the hole with sand and camouflage the nest before returning to the gulf.
With each season, the turtles face an uphill battle in their attempt to nest. With many obstacles such as human debris (chairs, tents, garbage) and holes dug in the sand, it is increasingly difficult for the turtles to reach a desirable nesting area. They often get confused when bumping into obstacles as they plow through the sand to reach beyond the high tide line.
The turtles have a bit of help from local advocate groups across the state. In Walton County, local turtle watch organization; South Walton Turtle Watch has more than 40 volunteers who comb the beach each morning looking for new turtle nests.
The volunteers locate nests, barricade and monitor until the hatchlings emerge. The volunteers work seven days a week from May through October.
If you would like to volunteer, contact Sharon Maxwell at (850) 897-5228. For more information about our local sea turtles visit: www.seaturtlewatch.com
It is illegal to harm, harass or kill any sea turtles, their eggs, or hatchlings. If you find hatchlings wandering in a road, parking lot, or in a direction other than toward the water, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (888) 404-FWCC or *FWC from your mobile phone.

Things you can
do to help
nesting turtles

Turn off the lights!

Keep beachfront lights off throughout the night from May to October as they can confuse sea turtles during the mating season. Suggested alternatives to decrease artificial lighting include use of motion sensors for safety, dark window tinting and curtains to cover inside light, and yellow incandescent light bulbs (bug lights). Studies have also shown that light from low pressure sodium vapor sources don’t attract turtles as much as high pressure sodium lights. Avoid fluorescent, mercury vapor, metal halide, and white incandescent lighting.

For information about low pressure sodium lighting contact Phoenix products at (414) 973-3300 or www.phoenixproducts.com
If you use a flashlight on the beach after dark, use a turtle safe sticker to diffuse the bright bulb light. For more information on how to get a sticker contact; Azalace Artworks (850) 855-9641 email: azalace@earthlink.com

If you see turtle hatchlings

Allow hatchings to crawl to the water on their own. Scientists believe the imprinting helps the hatchlings remember where they came from, so they can return and lay their own nests 20 to 30 years later.

Leave hatchling sea turtles in their nest; they will exit the nest when they are ready. If hatchlings are removed from the nest before they are ready, they are less likely to survive.

If you find a nesting turtle

Stay behind her at a distance so that she can not see you.

Keep your distance, remain quiet, and keep all lights off (flashlights, flash photography and video equipment). Noise and lights can cause the turtle to return to the Gulf without laying her eggs. Keep hands and other objects off and away from the turtle. After nesting, she may appear slow and hesitant. Touching, prodding, shining lights, or causing commotion may frighten her, disorient her, and cause her to spend less time covering and camouflaging her nest.

2008-07-13T07:08:00.001+09:30

June PCB airport update

Date: 6/23/2008

VIDEO: Panama City - Bay County International Airport Construction Update

Posted June 23, 2008 @ 8:37 am by Jason Koertge, Filed under: Panama City Airport Relocation, Pictures, Video

The construction of the new Panama City - Bay County International Airport is ahead of schedule. The entire 1300 acres of the initial footprint is cleared with crews to start paving the main entry way from 388 in the next couple of weeks.

The recent approval of the state budget that included $12 million from the state will fund the first extension of the runway. Day one of operation for the new airport will include a full 10,000 foot runway. In addition, all the preparatory work will be done so that when they need to lengthen the runway to the full 12,000 feet, it will take a mere matter of months.

Something else that is cool about the construction of the new airport is that the terminal will be LEEDS certified using all recycled material. The stormwater treatment will be 50% greater than what is required.

There will be an additional 1400 acres outside the airport property that will be used for commercial development.

View in HD

The current airport wears the “international” badge, but really only services very few flights (less than 3 a month) from international waters, specifically, the Caribbean. The new airport will have the facilities to service from a greater array of international destinations with full customs and immigrations facilities built into the terminal.

At the current airport site, there is no room to expand the General Aviation possibilities. The new airport site will have virtually unlimited GA possibilities.

With the heightened gas prices, the construction contractor has begun working almost 24/7 to get as much work done before fuel costs go much higher. The cost is the same, based on their bid, so their profit margin goes down as their costs go up.

They will start taking bids on construction of the terminal this summer with them to start construction late this summer or fall 2008.

Be sure to check back for more information about the Panama City - Bay County International Airport located just north of Panama City Beach and news about our area.

Pier Park Opens More Commercial Retailers

2008-07-13T06:39:00.000+09:30

Date: 6/18/2008

Pier Park Opens More Retailers in June!

Posted June 18, 2008 @ 12:00 pm by Jason Koertge, Filed under: Pier Park

Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE:SPG), the country’s largest owner, developer and manager of high-quality retail real estate, will celebrate more than 15 exciting retailer and restaurant openings this June at Pier Park, the 900,000-square-foot retail and entertainment lifestyle center located on 93 acres that covers land from Front Beach Road (at the City Pier) to the heavily traveled Highway 98 (Back Beach Road).

New specialty shops scheduled to debut include the following:

Ann Taylor Loft
As Seen On TV & More
Bellies N’ Babies
Chico’s
Cost Cutters
Counts-Oakes Realty
Footprints Coastal Decor
Hana Japan
Maurices
Peace Frogs
Popcorn Kingdom
Reggae J’s Island Grill
Regions Bank
Rocky’s South Philly Cheesesteaks
Shimmering Seas
Tran Fashion

Check after the break for a full list of open retailers.

The new stores will join over 80 stores already open at Pier Park. Additionally, the following anchors are open at Pier Park: Dillard’s, JCPenney, Target, The Grand 16 Theatres, Borders, Margaritaville, Old Navy and Ron Jon Surf Shop.

These additions make Pier Park home to a mix of over 100 retailers, with approximately half making their first appearance in this vibrant market. These stores combine the best in shopping, dining and entertainment – all situated across the street from some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Pier Park is a regional attraction, drawing residents and tourists from Florida’s Panhandle and beyond.

Ann Taylor Loft, through 483 store locations, competes in the “upper moderate” priced category. Ann Taylor Loft collections are designed for value conscious women with a more relaxed lifestyle both at work and at home.

As Seen On TV & More offers “As Seen On TV” products and other non-televised specialty items. As Seen On TV & More is committed to bringing customers the best “As Seen On TV” products at the fairest price.

In September 2005, Bellies N’ Babies opened its doors for the first time in downtown Danville, California and has been growing ever since. Bellies N’ Babies offers a great selection of affordable maternity fashions, products for moms-to-be and for kids as well.

Chico’s began in 1983 by Marvin and Helene Gralnick on Sanibel Island, Florida. Chico’s is a specialty retailer of private branded, sophisticated, casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories, and other non-clothing gift items.

Cost Cutters is dedicated to providing customers with convenient hair care services, by professional stylists who care about customer needs. Cost Cutters offers a relaxed hair care experience with no appointments and no hassles. A perfect choice for busy, value-conscious families and men, Cost Cutters offers a range of styles at a price easy-to-afford.

Counts-Oakes Realty has a wide selection of condos or resort condos, beach houses, town-homes or cottages for your beach vacation in Panama City Beach, Inlet Beach, Seagrove Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, and Seacrest Beach. You can count on Counts-Oakes Realty to find the perfect vacation rental.

Since 1983, Footprints Coastal Decor has been outfitting homes and condos along the Florida Emerald Coast with unique coastal accent items, fun beach decor, pottery, and decorative sea shells. They also have a wide selection of coastal gifts at excellent prices.

Hana Japan is fine dining that’s transformed into a novel, fun experience. The beautifully designed interiors feature Teppan Tables crowned with pagoda tops that seat a group of guests around a large hibachi grille. Talented chefs twirl their knives and display the freshest ingredients that are prepared to your taste, at your table. Hana Japan Steakhouse offers a delectable choice of steak, chicken and seafood, plus a variety of cocktails and full bar service.

Maurices was founded in 1931 by E. Maurice Lebovitz. For seven decades, Maurices has stayed true to high-standard fashion, value and great customer service. Offering sizes 1-24, styles are inspired by the girl in everyone, in every size.

Peace Frogs is a friendly, peace-filled shop that carries a wide variety of Peace Frogs items including tee-shirts, key chains, stickers, lounge wear, hats, and mouse pads.
Popcorn Kingdom offers the highest quality popcorn popped in-store daily using only the finest of ingredients. Experience a wide assortment of over 30 flavors from top selling caramel, to fabulous fruit flavors! Popcorn Kingdom offers a wide variety of gift boxes and tins for special occasions and popcorn by the bag that ranges in size from individual sizes, to family sizes, as well as a 20 gallon party size bag that is perfect for large gatherings.
Reggae J’s Island Grill, owned by Southern Restaurant Group (SRG), features seafood with a Caribbean flair. Reggae J’s Island Grill is located on Front Beach Road and has directs views of the Gulf of Mexico.

Regions Bank is a full-service institution with a full range of financial products and services in the areas of trust, asset management, mortgage banking, securities brokerage and insurance, in addition to traditional banking products and services.

Rocky’s South Philly Cheesesteaks brings Pier Park shoppers a traditional steak sandwich which Philadelphians have been enjoying for many years; the management is actually moving to Panama City from Philadelphia to serve shoppers the authentic hoagies. In addition to courtyard seating, the shop has 10 seats, as well as, counters where customers can stand to enjoy their sandwiches, reminiscent of standing on the streets of South Philadelphia.

Shimmering Seas, formerly Sea of Silver, offers jewelry and gifts, specializing in exotic jewelry creations. Shoppers can find a variety of elegant sterling, gold, pearls, diamonds and much more.

Tran Fashion is a retail clothing store specializing in unique clothing and accessories for women and juniors. Tran Fashion focuses on unique styles of sportswear, tops, dresses, pants, jeans, prom dress and full assortment of fashion apparel. Their mission is to understand customers’ needs and provide quality clothing and customer service at a reasonable price.

Store currently open include the following:

Anchors
Borders
Dillard’s
JCPenney
Margaritaville
Old Navy
Ron Jon Surf Shop
Target
The Grand 16 Theatres

Specialty Shops
A.M. Cafe Accessories On The Boardwalk
Aeropostale
Alltel Wireless
American Eagle Outfitters
Ann Taylor Loft
As Seen On TV & More
Back Porch Seafood & Oyster House
Bath & Body Works
Beach Scene
BeBo’z
Blender Clothing, a fusion boutique
Bootleg Barbeque
Buffalo Wild Wings
Caché
Camille’s Sidewalk Café
Candy Maker
Carlyle & Co.
Claire’s
Coldwater Creek
Del Sol
Emerald Coast Photography
Fish Tales
Five Guys Famous Hamburgers & Fries
GameStop
GNC
Guglielmo’s Italian Restaurant
Hofbrau Beer Garden
Hollister Co.
Specialty Shops Continued…
Jake at the Beach (Life is Good)
Jos. A. Bank
Justice
Kay Jewelers
Kilwin’s Chocolates & Ice Cream
Lane Bryant/Cacique
LongHorn Steakhouse
Marble Slab Creamery
Massage Envy
Merle Norman Cosmetics Studio
Mermaid Trading Co.
Motherhood Maternity
New York & Company
No Regrets Stationery and Gifts
PacSun
Panera Bread
Payless ShoesSource
Perfumania
Quizno’s Sub
Rack Room Shoes
Red Brick Pizza
Smoothie King
Solace Day Spa & Salon
Southern Waters Outfitters
Starbucks
Sunglass Hut
Sunglass World
Sunsights by Solstice
Tatoe Tots
The Walking Company
Tilly’s
Tootsies Orchid Lounge
Trader Tom’s
Ulta Beauty
Unique Boutique by Irene & Co.
Verizon
Victoria’s Secret
Yankee Candle
Zales

Panama City Beach in Southern Living

2008-07-13T06:38:00.000+09:30

Date: 6/11/2008

Panama City Beach in Southern Living

Posted June 11, 2008 @ 11:00 am by Jason Koertge, Filed under: Bay County Tourism, National News

There is an article about Panama City Beach in the latest issue of Southern Living, and they are raving about us.

“It’s time to return to Panama City Beach. If your memories revolve around crowded T-shirt shacks and gritty mom-and-pop motels, you’re in for a big surprise. This vacation magnet (your grandparents may have met here!) now sports a fresh style. It’s nudged the beach bum culture aside for upscale hotels and condos, good restaurants, a fabulous new shopping district, and sparkling high-rises.”

“Don’t worry. You can still relax in flip-flops and cutoff jeans in most places. The oyster bars, beach bands, and miniature golf courses with dinosaurs still thrive. Meanwhile polished businesses have opened that show a better look. Here’s our guide to the best.”

Here is the article:

New at Panama City Beach

This family favorite in Florida’s Panhandle has more to offer than ever. Come check it out.
By Annette Thompson / Photography Mary Margaret Chambliss and Art Meripol


	Panama City Beach’s new, colorful Pier Park draws crowds of shoppers and diners well into the evening hours.

It’s time to return to Panama City Beach. If your memories revolve around crowded T-shirt shacks and gritty mom-and-pop motels, you’re in for a big surprise. This vacation magnet (your grandparents may have met here!) now sports a fresh style. It’s nudged the beach bum culture aside for upscale hotels and condos, good restaurants, a fabulous new shopping district, and sparkling high-rises.

Don’t worry. You can still relax in flip-flops and cutoff jeans in most places. The oyster bars, beach bands, and miniature golf courses with dinosaurs still thrive. Meanwhile polished businesses have opened that show a better look. Here’s our guide to the best.

New School vs. Tried and True
Predictable sunshine, miles upon miles of snow-white sand meeting emerald waves, and a reputation as the Redneck Riviera: This playful mecca keeps its priorities straight.

Its stunning strand remains the prettiest in Northwest Florida due to a recently completed beach replenishment project. To the east, St. Andrews State Recreation Area creates one border, and 17 miles to the west, the multicolored town of Carillon marks its farthest reaches. In between, Panama City Beach (PCB) rocks on with comfortable familiarity--and some updates too.

At first glance along Front Beach Road, the old PCB is hidden between new high rises. The news of a forthcoming international airport (to open in 2010) sparked a frenzy of development. Front and center, Pier Park--an enormous shopping complex stretching between Back Beach and Front Beach Roads--showcases almost 1 million square feet of shopping and dining.


	Colorful condos march down the gleaming white sands fashioning a new look for PCB.

The bedraggled mom-and-pop motels that once sat cheek by jowl have almost all been replaced by gleaming condo towers. Glassed-in walkways several stories high lead to parking decks crossing over Front Beach Road.

Drop by on a weekend, and you’ll find the largest crowds cruising Thomas Drive. Pubs and putt-putt golf still abound, as do water parks, airbrush shops, and pizzerias. And, as always, all you have to do is head west to de-stress in less rowdy locales such as Carillon.

Visitors’ Guide

Where To Stay
Families with youngsters fall for Splash, a condo hotel with an indoor water park, beach chairs for rent, and quiet pools. Two-bedroom, two-bath units start around $259. www.sterlingsplash.com or 1-866-573-7678.
Holiday Inn SunSpree, a longtime lodging, boasts all updated furnishings, plus the Aqualand play area. Rates from $190. www.hipcbeach.com or (850) 234-1111.
We like the serene setting of Bay Point, the Marriott property adjacent to Jack Nicklaus II and Willard Byrd-designed golf courses. Another reason to visit: the fabulous new Serenity Spa, the best in PCB. Rates from $149. www.marriottbaypoint.com or (850) 236-6000.

Where To Shop
Pier Park has opened dozens of shops, from a Dillard’s flagship store and Old Navy to a Ron Jon Surf Shop. You’ll also find a 16-screen movie theater, a Margaritaville eatery, and Fish Tales jewelry.
Ladies will adore the beach-inspired clothes from PCB designers Liz & Jane outlet store on Front Beach Road.
Florida Linen on Back Beach Road offers one of the largest arrays of bed and bath accessories we’ve found under one roof.

Where To Dine
At Capt. Anderson’s be sure to ask your server which fish is best--they know the freshest. At Angelo’s steak house, parents with little ones typically arrive by 4:30 p.m. After 8:30 p.m., they’re gone and your wait is shorter (don’t pass up the ribs with barbecue sauce). At Boar’s Head Restaurant & Tavern, ask about the night’s best toppings for the fish.
Start your days at Andy’s Flour Power Café & Bakery. When you have a taste for confections, go to Thomas’ Donuts for the sour cream and Key lime-glazed doughnuts. Try the pignoli cookies at Antonio’s.
The best oyster bar in PCB is Hunt’s in downtown St. Andrews. Best order: a sampler oyster platter (not on the menu) to try all the varieties.

Love the Sand?
Tell us your favorite Southern beach. Visit southernliving.com/readerschoice to enter this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Your ballot enters you in our drawing for a Caribbean cruise. Vote today; the sweepstakes ends July 21.

A NOTE TO OUR READERS
"New at the Beach" is from the June 2008 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

U.S. 98 to be widened near Hathaway Bridge

2008-07-13T06:36:00.000+09:30

Date: 6/10/2008

U.S. 98 to be widened near Hathaway Bridge

Work set to begin in July, FDOT official says

June 10, 2008 - 10:22PM

By S. Brady Calhoun

News Herald Writer

PANAMA CITY — The Panama City Commission got a welcome surprise this week.

City officials were planning to ask Florida's Department of Transportation for changes to U.S. 98 near the Hathaway Bridge with the goal of easing congestion. City officials found out the department already was planning the work.

"We found that out yesterday," Assistant City Manager Jeff Brown said Tuesday.

Right now, traffic funnels down from three lanes on the bridge to two on U.S. 98 and bottles up at the Moody Avenue and 23rd Street intersections, FDOT spokesman Tommie Speights said. The work, which will begin in July, Speights said, will add a third eastbound lane and a turn lane from the bridge to Moody Avenue.

"The main idea behind that is to improve safety and ease congestion," Speights said.

You can set your watch to the daily congestion, said Karon Conrad, the daytime manager of the No Name Lounge on U.S. 98.

"It gets busy and backed up all the time," Conrad said. But "you can count on it at 3 p.m."

Workers are leaving Naval Support Activity-Panama City at that time, she added.

Speights called the work a temporary solution. Long-term plans still call for a complete flyover from Hathaway Bridge to 23rd Street. The planning phase on the flyover is nearing completion, but the state's five-year budget plan has no money set aside for the work, Speights said.

Alys Beach Restaurant Menu

2008-07-13T06:35:00.000+09:30

Date: 6/4/2008

June 04, 2008

Beach Eats Beat - Caliza at Alys Beach

I had the pleasure of dining with an absolutely wonderful group at Caliza at Alys Beach this past Saturday. Alys Beach recently opened this private venue to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings so everyone that wants to has the opportunity to experience the Alys Beach lifestyle for a night.

As expected, it was just delightful - the ambiance, the food, the service - all were top notch. I can't articulate how stunning the architecture and decor is at Caliza Pool and won't do it an injustice by even attempting to describe it here. You have to experience it first hand yourself - trust me on this one. What I loved was that dinner service is held in one of the covered coves next to the pool so you are dining al fresco but are still protected somewhat in the event of a stray shower. It's just a magical ambiance.

Director of Food and Beverage, Olivier Gaupin (yes, my other half!), who is single-handily manning the stove at the moment, has created an incredible menu that can be best described as Coastal Cuisine with French and Southern influences. Local specialties from the Gulf are featured on the menu (see the full menu below) - oysters, shrimp, Snapper, and a to-die-for classic Bouillabaisse. Also found are Filet Mignon, NY Strip, Piedmont Free Range Chicken and the best homemade pommes frites and chips seasoned with sea salt. Chef Olivier has high standards and only uses the freshest and highest quality products available which shines through in the finished product. Complicated food it's not which is what I think makes it absolutely fabulous.

In all honesty, it was really hard for me to choose from the menu. I was torn between pretty much everything and wished I could've sampled it all. I settled on Tuna Tartare ($16) for my first course which was made with raw, sushi-grade tuna tossed in a celery remoulade and served with a little lightly dressed arugula salad, Boquerone (Spanish Anchovy) and garlic croutons. One word - YUM! The tuna was incredibly fresh and I adore celery remoulade (remoulade is like the French version of tartare sauce - a mayo-based condiment). It was a generous portion but it's a light dish - a perfect starter that leaves you ready for the next course.

For my main course, I had the Local Snapper ($27) which was grilled and served atop a frisée salad with shallot bacon vinaigrette and a tarragon shallot remoulade. The delectably fresh Snapper was grilled perfectly - it was flaky and moist and went beautifully with the remoulade. I totally recommend it. Two of my dinner companions had the Fish and Chips and raved about it. The homemade pommes frites and homemade chips are served in these adorable little white boxes lined with paper - such a beautiful and noteworthy presentation! Two others had the Bouillabaisse, another had the Piedmont Free Range Chicken and another Half Lobster. Everyone really enjoyed their food - most made the clean plate club! It was an excellent meal through and through and I don't think there is anything on the menu that would cause one disappointment that they had ordered it.

I couldn't believe it when I realized we had been at the table for almost 3 hours. It was yet another reminder to me that there are few greater pleasures in life than sitting around a table with great people, excellent food and wine and a stellar ambiance - life is good!

Caliza is open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 6-9pm. Reservations are limited and required. For more inforamtion or to make a reservation, call please call (850) 213-5700.

CALIZA MENU __

BEGIN:

Tuna Tartare: Celery Remoulade / Arugula / Boquerone / Garlic Croutons 16

Old Fashioned Tomato Salad: Heirloom Tomatoes / Grilled Corn / Shaved Onions / Fava Beans / Basil Garlic Pesto / Fresh Squeezed Lemon / Shaved Parmesan Reggiano / Crispy Bacon 12

Grilled Peaches and Smoked Duck: Honey, Lemon Glazed Duck Breast / Grilled Peaches / Crunchy Spicy Pecans / Frisée / Shaved Parmesan Reggiano 11

Farmer Jones Spring Lettuce: Assorted Baby Lettuces / Grapefruit / Avocado / Shaved Onions / Chives / Dijon Vinaigrette 9

SHELLFISH:

Oysters on the Half Shell: Served on Ice / Shallot Lemon Mignonette / Cilantro Lime Cocktail Sauce 7

Fried Apalachicola Oysters: Curry Remoulade / Fennel, Onion Slaw 7

Chilled Half or Whole Lobster: Basil Garlic Mayonnaise / Frisée Salad / Shallot Bacon Vinaigrette 20 / 36

Fresh Apalachicola Peel and Eat Shrimp: Served on Ice / Fresh Squeezed Lemon / Cilantro Lime Cocktail Sauce 14

Fruits de Mer: Served on Ice / Oysters / Spiny Lobster / Local Shrimp / Sherry Stone Clams / Shallot Lemon Mignonette / Cilantro Lime Cocktail Sauce 35

SEA:

Local Snapper: Grilled Whole / Squeezed Lemon / Tarragon Shallot Remoulade / Frisée Salad / Shallot Bacon Vinaigrette 27

Fish And Chips: Local Fish Fry / Homemade Potato Chips / Sea Salt /Tartar Sauce 24

Classic Bouillabaisse: Tomato Saffron Broth / Grilled Country Bread / Saffron Garlic Mayonnaise / Shrimp / Scallops / Clams / Mussels / Selection of Market Fresh Fish 33

LAND:

8oz Filet: Grilled / Pommes Frites / Béarnaise Sauce or Pepper Sauce / Frisée Salad / Bacon Shallot Vinaigrette 31

10oz New York Strip: Grilled / Pommes Frites / Béarnaise Sauce or Pepper Sauce / Frisée Salad / Bacon Shallot Vinaigrette 30

Piedmont Free Range Chicken: Pan Roasted / White Asparagus / Pee Wee Potato / Mediterranean Olives / Basil / Shallot / Tomato and Caper Relish 25

SIDE:

Pommes Frites: Sea Salt Seasoned 4

Homemade Chips: Sea Salt Seasoned 3

Grilled Asparagus: Provencal Relish 4

Haricots Vert: Sautéed with Garlic / Shallots / Chives 4

SWEET:

Lemon Buttermilk Chess Tart: The Southern Standard / Buttery, Rich and Sweet 7

Florida Strawberry Soup: Cinnamon Citrus Red Wine Base / Vanilla Shortcake / French Vanilla Beans 7

Flourless Chocolate Cake: Served Warm / Kalhua Cream 7

Panama City Beach Number 1 Place to Own a Summer Home

2008-07-13T06:33:00.000+09:30

Date: 5/31/2008

Panama City Beach Number 1 Place to Own a Summer Home

Posted May 31, 2008 @ 10:13 am by Jason Koertge, Filed under: Real Estate Market

According to AOL Money and Finance, Panama City Beach is The Number 1 Place to Own a Summer Home.

In an article that came out Thursday May 29, 2008 Kelli B. Grant with SmartMoney.com wrote that amid the credit crunch “someone else’s misfortune could work in your favor.” Home prices are down and according to the short article, if you are in for the long-term and plan to use your second home, now is a great time to buy.

Quoting the article for Panama City Beach:

There’s something for everyone in this Panhandle town where white “sugar sand” beaches along the Gulf of Mexico give way to inland attractions, including six championship golf courses and an active restaurant and nightlife scene. Prices for beachfront property run the gamut from $100,000 for a one-bedroom condo, to $2 million-plus for single-family homes of five bedrooms or more, according to vacation rental site HomeAway.com.

Why Buy Now: Besides the weather (temperatures rarely dip below the 60s, even in January) a new international airport is slated to open in the next couple of years. With it comes low-cost carriers and an abundance of nonstop flights. (Currently, flying from New York involves at least one connection and travel time of anywhere from 4.5 to 13 hours. In comparison, a nonstop flight from New York to Orlando takes about two hours.) That ease of access should help boost tourism — and property values, says Anil Pereira, CEO of SecondSpace.com, a property-finding service. “It’ll be more feasible to own a second home there,” he says. “People will be able to fly in for the weekend.”

There you have it folks, the opinion of someone much smarter than I and completely outside our market. We are the number one place to own a summer home, followed by the Pocono Mountains, PA, then The Crystal Coast, NC, Lake Tahoe, CA, and the Great Smokey Mountains, TN.

Panama City Beach Airport a few months ahead of Schedule

2008-07-13T06:32:00.000+09:30

Date: 5/21/2008

New airport work ahead of schedule

By DANIEL CARSON, Florida Freedom Newspapers

2008-05-21 10:52:00

WEST BAY - Construction at the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport site is three months ahead of schedule, with a current focus on completion of the site's main access road, the airport's relocation project manager said Tuesday.

The Panama City-Bay County International Airport Authority held its regular meeting under a makeshift white tent Tuesday at the West Bay airport relocation site off County 388.

"Hopefully, in two years we'll have meetings here every month. But not in this tent," airport board Chairman Joe Tannehill joked as he started Tuesday's meeting.

Tannehill said the airport board scheduled Tuesday's meeting at the active construction site because "we thought the public would like to see it."

Amid the background noise of excavators transporting loads of dirt, the airport board heard an update from relocation project manager John Zebroski on new construction. Zebroski said that, even though construction started less than five months ago, site development milestones had been met well ahead of schedule.

"We're quite pleased with our progress," Zebroski said.

Zebroski said workers have cleared 1,330 acres at the West Bay site and are filling in the new airport's 2½-mile main access road. There is a 60-foot difference in elevation between the north and south ends of the site, Zebroski said, with the north end 80 feet and the south end 20 feet above sea level.

"This road is about 2 feet below its final grade," Zebroski said.

A first layer of asphalt should be put on the main access road by the end of June, Zebroski said.

The completion of the access road would allow workers to bring in raw materials for other parts of the project, including construction of the airport's terminal building and main runway, he said.

There are 105 pieces of equipment, 110 workers - not counting construction management - and another 30 inspectors on-site, Zebroski said after the meeting.

Workers have excavated 150,000 of the site's needed 850,000 cubic yards of muck, and filled in those areas with solid soil from other parts of the site. Zebroski said all of the fill dirt has been found on-site.

Work on the new airport's main runway, which will be 8,400 feet long with room for expansion, should start by the end of the summer or early fall, according to Zebroski said. "It could be, at its ultimate, 12,000 feet long," he said.

Grant OK'd
After the airport board listened to Zebroski's update, it unanimously approved the acceptance of a $28.2 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for the new airport's second phase of construction. The airport previously accepted a $26.2 million FAA grant for the first construction phase.

FAA funds for the second phase will be applied toward things such as site drainage, runway paving and terminal building construction.

Bay County resident Don Hodges asked the board how much the construction project had cost so far. Tannehill said the issue would be addressed at the board's May 27 workshop, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the current airport's boardroom.

After the meeting, Tannehill said the workshop, in addition to providing a status report on project costs, would deal with on-site environmental issues. He said the airport was within its budget and ahead of schedule with the relocation project.

ALYS Beach Poolside Restaurant Open to the Public

2008-07-13T06:29:00.000+09:30

Date: 5/19/2008

Dining Feature

Alys Beach invites guests to enjoy a unique new poolside dining experience at “Caliza.”

May 19, 2008

New Poolside Dining Experience at Alys Beach

Special to Florida Freedom Newspapers

ALYS BEACH – Beginning this Thursday, Alys Beach invites guests to enjoy a unique new poolside dining experience at “Caliza.”

“Eventually, we’ll be able to offer locals and out-of-town guests a bustling Town Center full of unique shops, restaurants and other amenities to enjoy,” said Jason Comer, Alys Beach’s Town Founder. “But in the meantime, we want our friends and neighbors to become a true part of our community. That’s why we hope everyone will come and enjoy the Caliza dining experience.”

Now open for its first full season, Caliza’s architecture is punctuated with arched colonnades, fountains, cabanas, tropical gardens, three pools and a restaurant, which will now be open to the public for dinner every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.

“Caliza is a dream of a place,” said Andrés Duany, well-known designer of hundreds of new towns around the globe, including the local communities of Seaside, Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach.

“30A is blessed with a diverse selection of excellent restaurants, and we think Caliza will add something very unique to this mix,” said Comer. “I hope it demonstrates to first-time visitors just how fully committed we all are to South Walton’s exciting future.”

“Our goals at Caliza are to use only the highest quality ingredients and to provide the highest possible levels of service,” said Chef Olivier Gaupin, Alys Beach’s Director of Food and Beverage. “The setting is already exceptionally beautiful, and we want the dining experience to be just as extraordinary.”

Before joining Alys Beach, Chef Gaupin was Executive Chef for WaterColor and WaterSound resorts, at a time during which the world-class resort was awarded a coveted 4-Star rating by AAA. Prior to moving to Florida, Gaupin was Executive Chef for numerous other award-winning restaurants, including Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Atlanta, where his restaurant was awarded 5-Stars by AAA and named “Top Restaurant in Atlanta” by Gourmet Magazine.

Gaupin said that Caliza’s dinner menu will generally emphasize fresh local seafood, including items such as Apalachicola oysters, and local snapper and shrimp, but will also feature the highest quality steaks and other selections, often with a French or Southern twist.

Reservations are strongly recommended. To make dinner reservations, or for more information about Caliza, please call (850) 213-5700.

New Restaurant coming to Alys Beach

2008-07-13T06:26:00.000+09:30

Date: 5/19/2008

Alys Beach, Florida – Sandor’s Restaurant is moving to Alys Beach!....Well, kinda. That is, the building that was formerly home to Sandor’s Restaurant on County Road 395 in Seagrove literally has been transported down Scenic 30A, where it will serve as the location for a brand new restaurant called “George’s at Alys Beach.”

The Sandor’s building was lifted onto a truck and moved to Alys Beach. Because of utility lines, the roof had to be temporarily detached during the move, and so the move had to be done in good weather. If you pass the building on 30A, you will note that it is quickly being renovated and a deck added. The building was constructed in the 1980s and has been a part of the 30A dining scene for at least 25 years. The building was eventually scheduled for demolition.

“I believe it was originally built as a sandwich shop and a fresh fish market, and of course, it later became Sandor’s, a well-known fine dining establishment,” said George Hartley, owner of nearby Seagrove Village Market Café. “Rather than construct an entirely new restaurant at Alys Beach, we decided to recycle and preserve this special part of 30A’s history.”

The building’s unique trip along Scenic 30A covered about 7 miles and took only a few hours, before it was placed on its new foundation at Alys Beach. There, it will become “George’s,” a new restaurant located directly on 30A. Hartley said that after a few interior renovations and exterior decking is added, the restaurant will seat approximately 55 diners.

“Part of 30A’s soul is in that building,” laughed Hartley. “We’re thrilled that we can bring its special energy and local authenticity to our new home in Alys Beach.”

More than 40 new stores open at Pier Park

2008-07-13T06:24:00.000+09:30

Date: 5/1/2008

May 1, 2008 - 2:24PM Walton Sun

Sean Boone and Nate Kelly

PANAMA CITY BEACH – The area’s largest outdoor mall just got a little bigger.
On May 1, 43 new stores and restaurants opened at the Simon Property Group’s Pier Park on U.S. Highway 98.
On Wednesday, Simon held a media tour day to promote the expansion of the shopping center and let business representatives from several stores explain what they will be bringing to the table.
“This is something we should all be proud of,” said Simon Vice-President of Community and Lifestyles Division Paul Ajdaharian. “We want Dothan, Destin, Tallahassee and Jacksonville to come to Pier Park – and we think they will.”
Tootsies’ Orchid Lounge out of Nashville, Tenn. is one of the businesses opening this spring that brings a different flare to the shopping and dining complex.
“We’re like the AA team of country music,” said co-owner Steve Smith.
Tootsies’ is a country bar and restaurant, but also holds a music record label.
Later this month, the label will present their first signed musician, John Stone, at the business’s grand opening in Pier Park.
“We’re also trying to get friends down here,” said Stone. “Bret Michaels, Kid Rock and others, hopefully,”
Pier Park encompasses 93-acres and 900,000-square-feet of open-air shopping, dining and entertainment. The Simon Group plans on expanding the center in the near future, but has yet to release a tentative date with those plans.
Simon President of Community and Lifestyles Division Myles Minton said there will ultimately be 130 retail stores and 30 restaurants on the property and explained that the idea of the beach shopping and dining complex is to create a mindset of where to go in the area.
“What are we going to do now?” he asked. “Hopefully Pier Park will be their answer.”

New Restaurants at Pier Park in Panama City Beach

2008-07-13T06:22:00.000+09:30

Date: 4/16/2008

More restaurants coming to Pier Park

4/16/2008
By Daniel Carson Florida Freedom Newspapers

PANAMA CITY BEACH - It’s not hard to find a place to eat at Pier Park, with new restaurants like Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Hofbrau Beer Garden, and Bootleg Barbeque opening this spring at the Panama City Beach development.

Indianapolis-based developer Simon Property Group on Tuesday announced four more new eateries coming to Pier Park this year, including the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. Also coming are Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Baja Café and Guy Harvey’s Island Grill.

Simon also announced beach and resort-wear shop Paradise Found would be opening its doors this spring in Pier Park’s Boardwalk section.

Of the newly announced restaurants, the Olive Garden is scheduled to open in the fall and will be located off Back Beach Road. Owned by Darden Restaurants, the Italian restaurant chain operates 628 location in the United States and Canada, including a State 77 location in Panama City.

Baja Café, with its mix of Cajun, Caribbean, Southwestern and American cuisine, will be located in the Town Center area with a planned summer opening.

Morris said Tootsies was scheduled for a July opening in the Boardwalk section. The restaurant is known as a Nashville, Tenn., mecca for country music artists, and Tootsies’ Web site says early customers included Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Patsy Cline and Mel Tillis.

Guy Harvey’s also will open in the Boardwalk section this fall and will be a combination of restaurant, outdoor boat bar and retail store. It will serve a variety of American foods, with a percentage of all its proceeds going to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which is dedicated to ocean preservation.

There are now more than 40 stores open at Pier Park.

Simon Property Group spokesman Les Morris said Payless Shoes and Zales opened earlier this month. Old Navy, Solace Day Spa & Salon and A.M. Café and Accessories on the Boardwalk were scheduled to open this week.

There may be more restaurant opening announcements in the future, Morris said. Restaurant leasing is important to a property, particularly an outdoor center such as Pier Park, he said.

“I think we’ve seen it with Hofbrau, Margaritaville and Five Guys Burgers & Fries,” Morris said.

He pointed out that Simon’s restaurant leasing department is the only one companywide dedicated to a specific leasing area.

“So we’re talking to restaurants often,” Morris said.

Chops opens up at the Village of South Walton on Hwy 30a

2008-07-13T06:21:00.000+09:30

Date: 3/20/2008

New restaurant opens

March 20, 2008 - 9:57AM

By Deborah Wheeler Walton Sun

For a cutting edge restaurant, only a cutting edge designer and artist will do.

To fill the bill, Jim Altamuro, owner of the new Destin Chops 30A, tapped the talents of Destin commercial designer Jennifer Browning and Santa Rosa Beach artist Teresa Cline.

Browning created a coolly sleek aesthetic environment for the restaurant that is edgy yet elegant, which she calls "classic, contemporary modern."

The look was created with using a metallic platinum stainless color palette, which continues even to the light fixtures and from the front door into the bathroom. Zebrawood accents were used for warmth in color.

Browning said she and Altamua looked at other steak houses to see what they had done, but most were dark.

"We didn't want dark. We wanted upbeat and fresh," she said. "This is not your typical steakhouse."

To give the neutral modern design the needed pop of color, classic artwork wouldn't do.

Altamura had worked with Santa Rosa Beach artist Cline in the past and was familiar with her warm, modern abstracts.

"Her art fits in and provides the pop of color," said Browning.

Cline has nine pieces of artwork from her "Ocean, sand and sea" series adorning the restaurant walls, some in large format. She is working on two more. All are for sale.

"They felt my paintings were compatible in tone and movement to the style of the restaurant," said Cline. "I am excited about it because the place is just really cool."

One standout "cool" aspect of the restaurant is the bar area. If the large screen TVs aren't entertaining enough, the lighting behind the bar changes colors every few seconds for a mesmerizing effect.

General manager and operating partner Chris Walling agreed that what sets the restaurant apart is the cutting edge décor, as well as the professional staff and the food.

"The closest prime steakhouse is at Sandestin, which is 22 miles away," said Walling.

The menu offers fresh local seafood as well as sushi, chops and prime steaks priced from $17.95 to $55, prepared by Executive Chef Erik Smith. An early dinner special is offered nightly from 5 - 6 p.m., and happy hour is daily from 5 - 7 p.m.

Smith grew up in the area. Walling is a Dallas native who was tapped for the position by Altamura who contacted him at the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans where he was director of food and beverage. He has worked in the restaurant business for 15 years.

Altamura came to the area 21 years ago and opened Marina Café on Destin Harbor. Destin Chops in Destin followed, and both establishments have garnered a number of awards over the years. Altamura closed Destin Chops in Destin last year in anticipation of bringing it to 30A. He is in the process of building a home in Destin and will be part of the community.

"We are offering the early dinner special that snowbirds and locals alike will appreciate and the happy hour," he said.

Events such as wine dinners will be included in the future once the restaurant has moved out of the soft opening stage.

"The opportunity is here now instead of Destin," he said. "I was the first steak house in Destin and now there are six. The location on 30A is a great location with no prime steak house out there."

As a seasoned veteran of the restaurant business, the current recession doesn't scare Altamura.

"We had the same conditions in Destin 21 years ago," he said.

Altamura believes that when the new airport is built there will be more people coming to the area from the northeast with a taste for fine dining.

He will be ready.

His location in Seacrest, just west of Rosemary Beach, also positions him within walking distance for the more sophisticated clientele that inhabit Rosemary Beach.

Destin Chops 30A officially opened to the public on March 5. Dress is resort casual. Dinner is served from 5 - 10 p.m.

For more information call (850) 231-4050 or visit www.DestinChops30A.com.

New Pier Park in Panama City Beach is a Hit!

2008-07-13T06:20:00.001+09:30

Date: 3/20/2008

(Walton Sun) March 20, 2008 - 9:40AM

Joyce Owen

PANAMA CITY BEACH – One month after the opening of the first stores in Pier Park, crowds continue to visit the shopping complex – and shop.

Bill Hanke of Edwardsville, Ill., was visiting Panama City Beach on March 11 for the first time with friends who have been regulars to the Emerald Coast for years.

Although his friends usually stayed in Destin, “This year they upgraded to a Wyndam timeshare in Panama City Beach,” Hanke said.

“We were driving around and checking things out in the area when we saw this. We came here and loved it. Look at all the shops that are open,” Hanke said. “My wife and her friend are shopping.”

Although Hanke and his friends were among the older visitors that vacation here during the winter, spring breakers have also discovered Pier Park.

Michelle Creighton, 20, from Ontario, was visiting for the first time. The rest of her group, including her friend Kate Shannon, 20, and her mother Kathy Shannon, and Joanne Rutten, also from Ontario, have been to Panama City Beach many times.

Although their favorite place is still the beach, shopping at Pier Park ran a close second.

Kathy Shannon said the men were golfing while they shopped. Everyone carried a bag or two.

As new shops open each week and new restaurants kick off grand opening celebrations, visitors were thrilled to have a new place in Panama City Beach.

“We’ve been coming here for 20 years. First, we came with our kids, now we come with our grandkids,” said Ann Svoboda of Aurora, Ill. “They’ve needed something like this.”

“The opening has been a success,” Simon Property Group executive Les Morris said. “Additional stores will continue to open throughout the spring.”

Pier Park is located on 93 acres .between Front Beach Road and U.S. Highway 98 in Panama City Beach.

Panama City Beach Airport clears hurdle

2008-07-13T06:19:00.001+09:30

Date: 3/4/2008

The new international airport in Panama City, Fla., the nation’s first new airport since Sept. 11, 2001, continues under way without interruption, following an appellate court’s denial yesterday of a motion that would have halted construction.

The injunction had been sought from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife and two other environmental organizations.

Randy Curtis, the airport’s executive director, told CPN that the airport authority’s ability to overcome these obstacles (this was the sixth consecutive court ruling in favor of the airport, according to the airport authority) rests on “doing the proper planning, and doing it right, from the very beginning.”

After it became clear more than 10 years ago that the Panama City-Bay County International Airport, simply couldn’t be expanded to meet growing air traffic to that section of Florida’s panhandle, the airport authority, the Panama City-Bay County International Airport and Industrial District, targeted a site about 10 miles northwest, across West Bay.

The 4,000-acre site of the new airport, which broke ground in November, is part of a “large-scale land use planning effort,” Curtis explained, the 75,000-acre West Bay Area Sector Plan. That land, most of which is owned by the St. Joe Co., covers an area larger than the District of Columbia.

Nearly 10,000 acres will be set aside under a conservation easement. Some areas that have been used for tree farming by St. Joe for many years will no longer be farmed, and environmental restoration will include removal of numerous roads and ditches, Curtis said. The new airport itself will feature on-site treatment of storm water and a LEED-certified terminal building.

“The goal,” said Curtis, “was that overall it would be a net benefit for the environment.”

Once the new airport is operational, the current airport property, comprising 700 acres in Panama City adjacent to North Bay, is to be sold to Community Airport Redevelopment, a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corp.

30A Officially Designated a Florida Scenic Highway

2008-07-13T06:16:00.000+09:30

Date: 2/25/2008

30A Officially Designated a Florida Scenic Highway

(Walton County -2/25/2008)

The vote in Tallahassee was "unanimous"

For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008

Santa Rosa Beach, Fl – County Road 30A, an 18-mile road which runs parallel to the coastline through a major portion of Walton County, was officially designated a Florida Scenic Highway by the Scenic Highway Advisory Committee Wednesday, February 20 in Tallahassee. This designation includes another 10.5 miles of connector roads which are County Road 83 (Blue Mountain) County Road 283 (Grayton Road) and County Road 395 (Seagrove – Eden Road). The vote by the committee was unanimous.

"This designation is the culmination of about 10 years of work started by Commissioner Van Ness Butler who recognized the benefits that would accrue from this,” says District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows. “We are now eligible to apply for grant funding for projects we have identified in the application. Some of these include plans to address storm water management, landscaping, traffic safety, signage, parking, preservation, coastal dune lake protection, and other initiatives that promote the intrinsic resources found on 30A and connector roads. I was glad to see this designation finally come to fruition and appreciate all the work that was done by citizens, elected officials, and county staff over the years."

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, designated scenic highways promote a heightened awareness of the state's exceptional resources and unique history through educational and visual experiences. The scenic highway program was developed in response to legislation (Section 335.093, Florida Statutes) "to preserve, maintain, protect and enhance Florida's outstanding cultural, historical, archeological, recreational, natural and scenic resources." It is voluntary and grass-roots based, involving strong local citizen and government support to help meet objectives. The program is perhaps best summarized by its mission statement: The Florida Scenic Highways Program will preserve, enhance and maintain the intrinsic resources of scenic corridors through a sustainable balance of conservation and land use. Through community-based consensus and partnerships, the program will promote economic prosperity and broaden the traveler's overall recreational and educational experience.

The Friends of Scenic 30A, formally the corridor advocacy group, will implement the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) applying for grants to accomplish, the CMP, working with partnerships from other citizen organizations, our State Parks, the BCC, the Walton Chamber, the TDC, the Coastal Dune Lake Advisory, the FDOT and government officials to oversee scenic highway beautification
and complete the goals set forth in the CMP. Public meetings will be planned by The Friends of Scenic 30A, encouraging citizens who have businesses or homes along the scenic corridor to attend and complete the CMP. Anyone wishing to become involved in The Friends of Scenic 30A should contact the office of Commissioner Cindy Meadows at meacindy@co.walton.fl.us or 850-622-3059.

The Walton County Board of Commissioners will recognize the volunteers who have been involved with this significant designation project at the March 11 Walton County Commission meeting at the South Walton Courthouse Annex.

Panama City Beach Airport Groundbreaking

2008-07-13T06:12:00.000+09:30

Date: 11/1/2007

PANAMA CITY, Florida (November 1, 2007) – The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) today held a ceremonial groundbreaking initiating the construction phase its new state-of-the-art international airport.

The airport is being built in the 75,000-acre West Bay Area Sector on 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site being donated to the Airport Authority by The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE).

With this ceremony, work also soon will began on an unprecedented environmental preservation effort designed to help protect the entire West Bay watershed, an area considered one of Florida’s environmental jewels. Relocation of the airport triggers the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area, a conservation area that will permanently protect approximately 40,000 acres around West Bay, including 33 miles of undeveloped shoreline and an additional 44 miles of creeks and tributaries.

In a prepared statement, Florida Governor Charlie Crist said the new airport is “a national model for economic transformation and environmental preservation.” Crist added: “The State of Florida stands as a proud partner of this project for the new jobs it will create and the environmental jewels it will protect.”

“Though we celebrate today, tomorrow we redouble our efforts to harvest the potential of this project for the people of Northwest Florida,” said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill. “We will work together to attract better air service and high-quality jobs to our region, and we will continue to work with a range of partners to make this airport as green as it possibly can be.”

“I am very proud of the way our community pulled together to create a shared vision of better air service, stronger economic development and permanent environmental protection for West Bay,” said Tannehill.

“We have planned this property to allow this airport to serve this region and our children for the next fifty years and beyond,” said Tannehill. “At the same time, we have worked with the environmental community, the state of Florida, Bay County and St. Joe to create an unprecedented environmental preservation area that protects West Bay for those future generations.

“Over the past ten years hundreds, if not thousands of people contributed to make this day possible,” said Tannehill. “It would be impossible to recognize them all. But we do thank them. And we pledge to work harder than ever to make this airport a tremendous asset for this community, for the Panhandle, and for the entire state of Florida.”

About the Relocated Panama City – Bay County International Airport

The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) is nearing completion of a ten-year process to relocate the Panama City – Bay County airport. The relocated airport is expected to be the first new airport built since September 11, 2001.

In late 1980s the Airport Authority began an effort to address significant deficiencies at the existing airport, including non-standard runway safety areas. When local environmentalists and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection objected to extending the existing runway system into Goose Bayou, a particularly environmentally sensitive part of St. Andrews Bay, the Airport Authority began considering relocating the airport.

After working with the FAA to complete a feasibility study in 2000 and a site selection study in 2001, the Airport Authority identified a new site for the airport in northwestern Bay County (West Bay) on land owned by The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE).

Following the FAA’s selection of the site, the Airport Authority partnered with the State of Florida, Bay County and The St. Joe Company in an innovative planning process authorized by Florida law known as “optional sector permitting and planning.” The process included dozens of public meetings, data gathering, analysis and visioning for the future. The plan was approved by Bay County and the State of Florida in 2002 and detailed specific area plans were also approved in 2003. Its policies will guide future development and conservation of the West Bay area.

One of the most innovative elements of the plan, in addition to the airport and economic development provisions, is the proposed West Bay Preservation Area. The West Bay Preservation was designed by local and state environmental leaders to preserve the health and habitat of West Bay forever. This watershed scale plan will preserve approximately 40,000 acres and, when fully implemented, include the provision of habitat corridors, open space and stream protection.

Simplified, the objective of the West Bay Preservation Area is to maintain West Bay in its present, pristine state forever. Its vision, especially when compared to the development that has occurred on Florida’s other bay front lands, holds the potential to be one of the most significant conservation measures in Florida history. The plan was won statewide praise including the “2007 Promising Practices Award” from the Council for Sustainable Florida this month.

In 2004 the FAA began preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement considering two-dozen alternatives for addressing the deficiencies at the existing airport. In May 2006 the FAA issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement, identifying relocation to the West Bay Site as its Preferred Alternative. In September 2006, the FAA issued its Record of Decision recommending and approving relocation of the Panama City airport to the proposed site in West Bay.

In August 2007, after extensive review, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Section 404 permit, the final permit necessary to begin construction of the airport.

In September 2007, the Airport Authority approved a contract to sell the current airport site to a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation of New York (NYSE: LUK) for $56.5 million in cash and an estimated $38 million in transfer fees from the sale of future properties developed on site. The current airport site is approximately 700 acres adjacent to North Bay in Panama City.

Under the Airport Authority’s current schedule, the new airport is expected to open in the first quarter of 2010.

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