PANAMA CITY BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SUPPORTS FAA DECISION TO RELOCATE AIRPORT
Panama City Beach, FL (September 15, 2006) ? The Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Debi Knight issued the following statement in response to the Federal Aviation Administration?s approval to relocate the Panama City ? Bay County International Airport to West Bay:
?The Panama City Beach Chamber is very pleased with the FAA?s decision to relocate the Panama City ? Bay County airport to West Bay. First and foremost, this decision guarantees us an airport that meets all federal safety standards. But more importantly, this decision creates tremendous opportunity for Panama City Beach, Bay County and all of Northwest Florida.
?The new airport will be a tremendous economic development platform ? a very important tool for us to use to attract new businesses and high-quality jobs. It puts Bay County in a whole new category as we work to bring economic development to our region.
?With a new airport, we will be in a much stronger position to improve air service, attract a low cost airline and bring more competitive airfares to Northwest Florida. We won?t have to travel to Pensacola or Tallahassee in search of a reasonable airfare.?
?The environmental benefits of relocation are also substantial, including the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area and the protection of nearly the entire shoreline of West Bay.
?The FAA, the nation?s foremost aviation experts, has answered every critic and responded to every comment with their thorough study. We appreciate their efforts on our behalf. And we thank our airport authority for their commitment it protecting and improving our quality of life.
?A new day is dawning in Northwest Florida ? and we have every reason to be optimistic about our future.? :clap_1:
Bobby JBobby JBeach FanaticBlue Mountain beach4,041 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
Bobby JBeach FanaticBlue Mountain beach4,041 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic9,377 views
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BabyblueBabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
BabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticNow I know why there are 30,000 condos under construction, a theme park coming, new highways being built, cruise ships arriving . . . .
Correct!!!!
BobBobSoWal InsiderO'Wal10,368 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal Insider
BobSoWal InsiderO'Wal10,368 postsJoined View profileMessageSoWal InsiderAnd the old Orlando airport really is a bad comparison to make because the big rat's a huge, huge draw, and they've got other huge theme parks that have been built there since the new terminals replaced the old one. (which had all the ambiance and space of a Greyhound bus terminal) Orlando also draws from a local population base that's something like 5-15x what Bay County would.Beachmouse, I guess the mid-bay bridge is a total boondoggle as well. You cannot compare VPS to OIA because McCoy Air Force base closed in 1974. You can't have a huge international airport in the middle of a military facility. Poor airport facilities severely limit the scope and flow of visitors. Orlando prior to the larger facility had a severe limit as to volume of visitors. The old terminal was tiny!!! Most drove to visit Disney. Prior to 1981 you would not see pink, sunburned Europeans wandering the area. Now thousands of foreigners own rental homes. Real estate is affordable because of exchange rates. I golf with a Scottish-British group, and universally, many have no working knowledge of the panhandle's unsurpassed beaches. On second thought, maybe that's a good thing, but an international airport next to SoWal will surely boost real estate.
The will help, but it's not the short term magic bullet so many people think it's going to be. If you want a comparison point, you can land any size plane you want to at VPS (including a 747 with a space shuttle attached to it) and the Department of Defense is generous enough with runway rights for civilian air that commercial carriers are only using abut 75% of what they're allowed to.
End result- abut 200,000 more annual passengers and a few more carrier options like Continental, but if people think that BA, Luftansa, and the like are going to be beating the path to Bay County's door, they're delusional.
JellyfishJellyfishBeach LoverAtlanta89 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
I agree. To attract tourists and business, you need good access, which means a good airport these days. Worked for Atlanta :funn:
pmd8pmd8Beach Lover142 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
pmd8Beach Lover142 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach LoverI would be ecstatic if the lack of an airport would halt development.
One problem with the new airport is that it is going to destroy a large area of wetlands. The current airport is underutilized and the land it's on is already degraded.
Let's see, the citizens of Bay County voted against moving the airport but that apparently doesn't matter where St. Joe's wishes are concerned. They didn't donate 4500 acres for the airport for altruistic reasons. Who else could get a state highway moved inland for their waterfront development in Franklin County? And the state will pay for half of it to boot. Just as we taxpayers are paying $300 million for the new airport that will primarily benefit St. Joe.
One problem with the new airport is that it is going to destroy a large area of wetlands. The current airport is underutilized and the land it's on is already degraded.
Let's see, the citizens of Bay County voted against moving the airport but that apparently doesn't matter where St. Joe's wishes are concerned. They didn't donate 4500 acres for the airport for altruistic reasons. Who else could get a state highway moved inland for their waterfront development in Franklin County? And the state will pay for half of it to boot. Just as we taxpayers are paying $300 million for the new airport that will primarily benefit St. Joe.
CilCilBeach FanaticAmelia Island, FL1,491 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
CilBeach FanaticAmelia Island, FL1,491 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticI would be ecstatic if the lack of an airport would halt development.Do you mean Gulf County?
One problem with the new airport is that it is going to destroy a large area of wetlands. The current airport is underutilized and the land it's on is already degraded.
Let's see, the citizens of Bay County voted against moving the airport but that apparently doesn't matter where St. Joe's wishes are concerned. They didn't donate 4500 acres for the airport for altruistic reasons. Who else could get a state highway moved inland for their waterfront development in Franklin County? And the state will pay for half of it to boot. Just as we taxpayers are paying $300 million for the new airport that will primarily benefit St. Joe.
spinDrAtlspinDrAtlBeach Fanatic367 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
I am pretty happy with the stretch that we enjoy - from Bayou Bill's at the Winn Dixie across from Carillon down to Seaside. If they can keep the mega condo's out of that area (and particularly Rosemary to Alys Beach) then everything will be cool, IMO. :cool:
We purchased our current place in 1997, having done a 1031 exchange from a condo purchased in the late 80's and plan to continue to enjoy our place for the next 5-10 years or more and if the time ever comes to take our profits, we will probably still come down and rent.
Growth is fine, just don't spoil our little stretch. :nono1:
We purchased our current place in 1997, having done a 1031 exchange from a condo purchased in the late 80's and plan to continue to enjoy our place for the next 5-10 years or more and if the time ever comes to take our profits, we will probably still come down and rent.
Growth is fine, just don't spoil our little stretch. :nono1:
BabyblueBabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
BabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticI agree. To attract tourists and business, you need good access, which means a good airport these days. Worked for Atlanta :funn:
Yep, Left Birmingham in the dirt.:scratch:
drivingtheviewdrivingtheviewBeach Lover107 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
drivingtheviewBeach Lover107 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach LoverOriginally Posted by Jellyfish
I agree. To attract tourists and business, you need good access, which means a good airport these days. Worked for Atlanta
Yep, Left Birmingham in the dirt.
Birmingham resident here. Dirt is plentiful, affordable, and easy to get to in your car. Big, big fan of Atlanta's airport.
BabyblueBabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
BabyblueBeach FanaticSeagrove Beach525 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticHas 280 slowed down any? When I lived in Inverness is sure was crowded.:bang:
drivingtheviewdrivingtheviewBeach Lover107 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
drivingtheviewBeach Lover107 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach LoverHas 280 slowed down any? When I lived in Inverness is sure was crowded.
No. 280 is horrible and getting worse every day. I consciously live in a part of town where I never have to get on 280. A consultant has been in town recently pitching an elevated toll-road as a remedy. She is the same consultant who helped design a similar successful elevated toll-road in Tampa. Given the efficiency of Alabama politicians, this should be a great fix 15-20 years from now.
;-)
Obviously I kid about Atlanta. Love it but I cannot comprehend how people deal with that traffic on a daily basis.
jpreusjpreusBeach LoverSoWal native in transition96 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Lover
jpreusBeach LoverSoWal native in transition96 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach LoverHello, drivingtheview. I lived in Atlanta for a few years back in the days when there were only 1,000.000 people there (oh my, how I just dated myself). Back in the day, the old saying was, "Atlantans would drive their car to the bathroom if the doors were wide enough." Obviously things haven't changed much.............
Uncle TimmyUncle TimmyBeach FanaticBlue Mountain Beach1,013 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
Uncle TimmyBeach FanaticBlue Mountain Beach1,013 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticMy understanding is that the bids for the sale of the existing airport site in Panama City will be made public in the next few days.
This is another critical step in the progress of the new airport because the land will need to sell for at least 50 million in order to help fund the relocation.
Any thoughts?
This is another critical step in the progress of the new airport because the land will need to sell for at least 50 million in order to help fund the relocation.
Any thoughts?
KurtKurtAdminSoWal2,472 postsJoined View profileMessageAdmin
KurtAdminSoWal2,472 postsJoined View profileMessageAdminMy understanding is that the bids for the sale of the existing airport site in Panama City will be made public in the next few days.
This is another critical step in the progress of the new airport because the land will need to sell for at least 50 million in order to help fund the relocation.
Any thoughts?
I think they got 5 bids. It will be interesting to see if anyone bids that high since the property is reportedly not worth it. Would parties that have an interest in the new airport proceeding, bid that high to make it happen? Will St. Joe have a bid, or one of their partners? Is it a coincidence that the State just paid St. Joe $46 million for property to be used for future roadways? I'm not saying anything inapproprite is happening. It sounds like the way things get done in business.
BeachSiO2BeachSiO2Beach Fanatic3,294 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
BeachSiO2Beach Fanatic3,294 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticI think they got 5 bids. It will be interesting to see if anyone bids that high since the property is reportedly not worth it. Would parties that have an interest in the new airport proceeding, bid that high to make it happen? Will St. Joe have a bid, or one of their partners? Is it a coincidence that the State just paid St. Joe $46 million for property to be used for future roadways? I'm not saying anything inapproprite is happening. It sounds like the way things get done in business.
Maybe St Joe will buy the old airport and keep it for private jets for the rich and famous!! Or they could give away private hangers as amentities for WaterSound or WaterColor buyers...:roll:
Edited
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