Panama City, Florida Prepares to Recognize Two-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Michael; Details Significant Accomplishments & Outlines Plans for the Future
"From short-term disaster recovery assistance to the opportunity to fundamentally re-imagine our community for the next century, the challenges and opportunities of the last 24 months have been extraordinary," Mayor
To implement its Long-Term Recovery Plan,
- More than
$100 million to reimburse the cost to remove 40 years of debris in the 18 months following the storm; initiate the repair and replacement of the city's water, sewer, and other key and vital infrastructure; and repair the city's parks and playgrounds. - Close to
$40 million in state funding to establish theReHouse Bay initiative to helpPanama City andBay County residents secure affordable housing. With direct financial assistance of up to$50,000 for down payments and closing costs, to repair and recovery aid, to help preventing foreclosure and short-term mortgage assistance, to short-term rental assistance, along with other options, these programs are key to the city's long-term growth and position as a desirable and affordable place to live. Launched inJune 2020 ,ReHouse Bay , has already provided help to more than 300 applicants with hundreds more in the pipeline. - More than 5,000 houses currently in development or under construction.
Given the length of time required to apply for, and then receive these funds, the
In parallel, the City has seized the momentum to turn the massive rebuilding effort into a positive opportunity to reimagine
- In
April 2019 , the City embarked on a citizen-driven effort through its ReBuildPC program to shape anew the City's historic downtown and waterfront that brought hundreds of members of the community together through in-person participants via open microphone sessions, bus tours, surveys, and hands-on work with maps to draft this critical blueprint (and even more got involved via social media). Over the summer in 2020, similar design charrettes were held in three more of the City's historical neighborhoods. - Proudly, there are 3,288 businesses operating in
Panama City – 171 more than there were before the hurricane, with 436 businesses opening in just the last two years. - From
Suzuki Marina Technical Center ; toClark and Son Inc. , a cabinet company located inPort Panama City's Intermodal Distribution Center; to Eastern Shipbuilding's expansion; businesses of all sizes are moving intoPanama City . - Inauguration by Verizon of its 5G service in
Panama City , one of the first five cities in theU.S. to have this high speed connectivity. - In
August 2020 , TheSt. Joe Company andPanama City announced a long-term land lease to bring a new hotel and restaurant toPanama City's downtown waterfront district. This agreement comes after nearly two years of planning, discussions and public meetings between St. Joe, the City and local residents. Under the terms of the lease, St. Joe will pay rent to the city based on the performance of the planned hotel and restaurant. St. Joe intends to fund the hotel and restaurant project without any City or public funding. - A planned
$55 million investment in thePort of Panama City will expand the facility and, with dredging, make it a deeper water port. - Addition of new municipal parks and playgrounds, including a skate park and
Ninja Warrior -style equipment. - A new boat ramp at
Carl Gray Park , with additional improvements on the way for 2021. - Launch of the City's ReTreePC initiative that, to date, has planted or given away 5,100 new trees and is on track to meet its 2023 goal of planting 100,00.
"Along with my
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