By Kristopher McLane, President/CEO of Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce
Summer in Panama City Beach has always been considered peak season when families flood into our beautiful destination in record numbers. But this year the season has been a little different due to COVID-19. Our area has already seen a massive influx of visitors early in the year, and things have not slowed down going into the summer.
For example, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport officials stated March was the third-busiest month in the airport’s history, boasting more than 100% increase in passengers compared to March 2020. March’s total passenger count was an impressive 129,066. ECP is gaining national attention as well. Simple Flying, which is a popular aviation news site, stated passenger volume for the summer is more than 58% greater than the summer of 2019. This is the fourth largest percentage of growth compared to other airports across the nation.
However, such large crowds are causing issues and concerns for a lot of our businesses due to staffing shortages. Some businesses are limiting hours of operation, closing on certain days, or working employees for long periods of time with no time off because they are left with no other options. A positive step forward for the business community in Bay County is that the state of Florida recently ended the $300 federal unemployment benefits on June 26. Employers are hopeful the loss of extra benefits will result in more people applying for available jobs. But there will still be shortages and hiring apprehension. CareerSource Gulf Coast is a great resource for employers in the meantime; there are also ongoing discussions among local leaders to recruit people to this area.
The other side of the coin to staff shortages is housing inventory and affordable options. According to the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors, active listings in Bay County were around 630 in May compared to 1,255 in January. As this inventory continues to dwindle, CPAR states there are only 1.4 months of inventory available compared to 2.7 months at the end of 2020. Luckily, many apartment complexes around Bay County are coming online over the next few months. Also, according to recently released PR from St. Joe, they announced additional homesite sales, new home builders, and future planned phases at its workforce housing communities in Bay County. St. Joe broke ground on the single-family home communities of College Station, Titus Park, and Park Place in 2019 in response to the housing shortage created by Hurricane Michael. Each of the communities began welcoming residents in 2020. Interest from potential home buyers and home builders remains high as the region sees an influx of new residents. A recent study by The New York Times that examined where people are moving to in the United States found that the Panama City area ranked 8th out of 926 metro areas for the largest net in-migration percentage increase from 2019 to 2020.
Bay County is a beautiful place to live, work, or come visit so remember that when the roads are full of traffic, it takes longer at your restaurant for the food, or you walk into a store and have trouble finding an employee to check stock for you. We are a growing community and local officials and businesses are doing the best they can. The Panama City Beach Chamber is here to help our members and visitors this summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
I hope everyone has a safe, prosperous, and fun summer.
Welcome New Chamber Members
Be Home Rentals
(850) 832-8626 karen@thebeachbrokers.com
Best Shot Aerial
(850) 890-4383 bestshotaerial21@gmail.com
Aerial Photography/Video
Fogo Solutions
(678) 640-3646 brada@fogodatacenters.com
Technology Infrastructure/Security
Northwest Florida Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center
(850) 250-0112 hkretzer@us-woundcare.com
Medical Services/Clinics
Raffields Seafood, LLC
(850) 215-2427 cody@raffieldshelpinghands.com
Restaurants
Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q
(850) 215-2427 vmartin@rudys.com
Restaurants
Suncoast Roofer Supply
(850)462-5300 amy.smith@suncoastrooferssupply.com
Roofing Distributor
The Beauty Creators
(330) 327-0434 thebeautycreatorspcb@gmail.com
Cosmetics
Carroll Coastal Contracting
(850) 730-7460 cynthia.shaluta@gmail.com
Painting Contractors/Services
Double H Construction & Development
(850) 596-9675 khill@constructiondoubleh.com
Construction
Heather’s Interiors, LLC
(615) 738-1796 heathergriese@seebeeconstructors.com
Home Improvement
Operation Spay Bay
(850) 215-1022 twilight44dd@gmail.com
Non-Profit Organizations
Our Organized Spaces, LLC
(850) 319-8182 andym722@gmail.com
Interior Design
Peterson Insurance & Financial Services, LLC
(850) 221-1810 courtney@cpertersonfinancial.com
Insurance
Pit Stop BBQ, LLC
(850) 481-1600 pcpitstopbbq@gmail.com
Restaurants
Anchor FL Realty – Greg Robertson
(660) 349-6509 greg@anchorfl.com
Realtors/Brokers
Austin Music Co.
(850) 249-7111 michael@austinmusicpcb.com
Music Stores
INFLOW Smart Technologies, Inc.
(850) 323-0151 chip.inflowcard.coo@gmail.com
Advertising/Marketing
RRCA Roofing & Reconstruction
(850) 409-3090 joshua.monk@rrcaflorida.com
Roofing
Sugar Kingdom
(850) 376-4675 ddaproducts@gmail.com
Candy Shops
TinkerJet Cleaning, LLC
(850) 708-5596 tinkerjetcleaning@gmail.com
Cleaning
