Category: Featured

By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools

This school year has certainly gone by quickly, and I always look forward to sending my “last day of school messages” to all of our stakeholders. I have been extremely blessed to be the superintendent for 15 years, so it is with mixed emotions that I craft this message for the ‘last’ time.

I hope the next few days are the beginning of a restful, relaxing and fun summer that all of you so deserve. The school year is fun but I know that all of those activities take a toll on our students, our staff and our families. Summer is a great time for some restorative mental, emotional and physical self-care and for FUN with family and friends.

I will begin a new chapter, effective July 31, as I retire after 41 years in public education. I started as a substitute teacher right out of college in 1980. I could not get a job, and subbing was my only avenue to teach. Finally, I was hired at an alternative school to teach in 1982. I fell in love with this career choice and never looked back. In addition to teaching social studies and English, among many other courses (just as most of you have done), I also coached and later became an assistant principal and a principal. I have enjoyed all of it. While I will definitely miss the day-to-day interactions with staff and with students, I will not miss the immense responsibility of securing the safety of all of us. Our world has changed in so many ways, and the job of Superintendent has changed rapidly in just the past five years. While I am sad to leave, I know that this is the right decision for my family and myself.

But know that I am taking every memory, every relationship and all of your support with me as my retirement ‘gifts.’ I am so incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished together and the resilience we have shown in the face of almost constant adversity since October of 2018. Your faithfulness, your willing spirit and our commitment to our children led us out of the darkest days following Hurricane Michael’s devastation. We enabled our community to get to work rebuilding when we reopened our schools, and we all managed to keep our children focused throughout absolute chaos.

And then our educators were a beacon of hope during the crazy days of the pandemic. We ensured children didn’t get lost in the system; we ensured all students had access to continued learning, food and books. WE kept them believing that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

We did that even in the face of the ‘political finger pointing’ that never seems to end, but keeps us in the ‘crosshairs’!

I leave this position not as young or as energized as I was when I began, but more than ever convinced that public education is a calling and not just a job. Some of us call it the ‘Lord’s Work,’ but whatever you call it, we can’t do it alone. And, all of us know that our children are worth it and need us more now than ever, if they are to have a chance in our crazy world.

Despite the divisive headlines, social media posts and soundbites surrounding us, I know the future is bright for our children because of public education, the amazing people who work at BDS and the entire community that supports us in that work.

I plan to continue to teach Sunday School, and do volunteer work with local non-profits. I look forward to spending much more time with my wife, my children and all of my grandchildren, and I plan to be a regular fixture in the bleachers and at the auditoriums as they play and perform.

In closing, I am a proud product of public education and the men and women who invested in me when I was a child, and I know you are doing the same for countless children in our community. I am honored to have worked with all of you for as long as I have. Please know that I genuinely appreciate the love and compassion you have for our children. You may never know how important you are to them, but let there be no doubt… your love provides them hope. Hope and love are critical to anyone’s success, so please keep doing what you’re doing to take care of our most precious gifts… our children and grandchildren. Thank you for all you do to make them successful.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela.

By Sharon Michalik, Director of Communications, Bay District Schools

Retirees often dream of more “downtime” and less activity in their golden years, but that’s not the vision of some new residents of the Margaritaville neighborhood in Panama City Beach.

Margaritaville, a retirement community built by the St. Joe Company, has a group called “Memory Makers” who are determined to make as many unforgettable memories as possible. And part of that plan includes a very active commitment to the students and staff at neighboring West Bay Elementary School.
More than 75 Margaritaville residents have been involved in West Bay Elementary School since the school year began and both residents and school officials hope to continue to expand the partnerships.

“Many volunteers are retired educators,” explained West Bay Principal Deniece Moss. “But whether they are former teachers or not, they all know the value of relationships and they understand that all students benefit from the addition of trusted adults in their lives,” she added.

Memory Makers volunteer Monica Thomas recently spoke about the partnership and its importance.

Thomas, a retired teacher herself, explained that volunteers were critical to her success in the classroom. “I could not have done without volunteers in my classroom, and the kids love when you come, and you can just give an extra hand. So I know how I benefited from it, and I want to give back,” she explained.

Moss said the Memory Makers are trusted adults the children can look up to.

“They know how to listen to kids, they know maybe what a teacher might need and might need to hear, and they’re just so encouraging to all on our campus,” she said. And the Memory Makers can play one really vital role for students at West Bay. “So many of our students don’t live near their grandparents,” Moss explained. “So the Memory Makers are becoming surrogate grandparents in some instances and it’s just wonderful to see those relationships forming and to know that the volunteers are benefitting just as much as the children are from that time together.”

Thus far, she said, the group has:
• 81 Memory Makers volunteer members.
• 10 or more members who are serving specifically as Elevate Bay Mentors.
• 20 members who have adopted classroom teachers/grade levels and write letters of encouragement and drop off small gifts of appreciation each month.
• Others who volunteer in the book fair, Title I parent events, Family Sweet Heart Dance, etc…
• A group that hosted a “Little Eagles” Christmas Party for the students of our teachers and staff.
• A combined total of more than 150 hours of volunteer time.

As a principal, Moss said the Memory Makers are irreplaceable. “It’s amazing having a cadre of volunteers who we can count on, and who our children can count on, and the fact that so many of them have previous experience working with children is a wonderful bonus,” she explained.

Moss said she hopes Memory Makers becomes a legacy in the school as the community grows. “And I hope their example encourages other retirees to get involved,” she said. “Whether someone has one hour a week to give or ten hours a week, there are so many needs at our schools and so many creative ways for us to get volunteers involved in the activities that interest them.”

Becky Farmer, another retired educator who is a Memory Makers volunteer, explained some of those volunteer roles.

“The teachers are the rock, and everything (extra) is often from their pockets. We can help them with that,” Farmer said. “Maybe you don’t feel comfortable everywhere else. You can sure help with the financing of the materials and things in the classroom.” Memory Makers also volunteer to have lunch with students and they have volunteered in the Media Center and in the front office as well as many different classrooms.

The Memory Makers are always looking for more volunteers.

“Get involved, because when you’re retired, you have gifts you can give back to the community, especially the school system. I think it’s very rewarding,” Memory Makers Volunteer Ellen Benton said. “Plus, it’s perfect for us retirees to stay involved and active in some organization that keeps you going. So Memory Makers is the perfect one, especially for our neighborhood.”

Jane Schmidt, West Bay Media Specialist, said the Memory Makers have played an integral role on campus thus far, and she looks forward to their visits and their enthusiasm. “They are a wonderful group of volunteers,” she said. “Their positivity just spreads throughout our campus, and the students really look forward to their visits.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at any of our schools can just call the closest school to find out their needs.

From the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

As the calendar flips to May, it marks the beginning of National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Not quite five years removed from the devastating impact of Hurricane Michael, Panama City Beach does not need to be reminded about the importance of being prepared, but with information available from various sources, it can be hard to discern the best steps to take.

Based on decades of field and lab research, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has released its 2023 Hurricane Ready guides featuring preparedness tips to help home and business owners strengthen their properties against storms. IBHS research shows resilient construction and re-roofing can significantly reduce the risk of storm damage. The nonprofit research organization has also identified some low-cost DIY projects that can help any building better withstand high winds and heavy rain.

“One of the things we note when investigating storms is that homeowners can do things to reduce the likelihood and severity of storm damage,” said Dr. Ian Giammanco, lead research meteorologist at IBHS. “Even with Hurricane Ian, which caused extreme damage due to storm surge, we saw limited wind damage in homes built after 2002, when the Florida Building Code was first adopted. Amid the overall destruction, this positive result helps show that we are not powerless against Mother Nature.”

While some of the projects included in the Hurricane Ready guides can be done prior to an impending storm, IBHS encourages people to begin now to ensure projects can be completed by June 1, the traditional start of hurricane season.

First Line of Defense: The Roof
IBHS analysis shows that as much as 90% of all disaster-related insurance claims include damage to the roof, and that oftentimes relatively minor roof damage leads to extensive interior repairs. One way to reduce the risk posed by high winds is to identify existing damage or wear on your roof. Most roofing contractors will provide an inspection, sometimes at no cost, and then make necessary repairs. If it is time for roof replacement due to age or existing damage, reroof to the FORTIFIED standard. Based on decades of the nonprofit’s research, FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and reroofing method requiring third-party verification of the key elements that strengthen roofs against severe weather. Lab studies and real-world events show FORTIFIED prevents damage from high winds up to 130 mph.

Wind-Rated Garage Doors
Garage doors represent another common source of “cascading damage” during hurricanes or other severe weather events. When the largest opening in most buildings fails, pressure can build inside the garage and push up on the roof and out against surrounding walls. This can lead to major structural damage and even collapse. In this area, property owners should have wind-resistant garage doors with a rating of at least 130 mph. If a garage door is not labeled as wind resistant, it should be replaced or at least reinforced to provide needed protection.

Cost-Effective Repairs
While a stronger roof and garage door will significantly help to reduce the risk of storm damage, other more budget-friendly steps can be taken, as well. Hurricane Ready suggests sealing gaps and cracks to keep wind-driven rain from intruding into a home or business. Other actions like securing soffits and trimming trees can also help to limit damage caused by wind.

Know Your Codes
Modern and enforced building codes are critical to reducing the damage and destruction caused by hurricanes each year. Florida ranks atop IBHS’s Rating the States which examines building codes in 18 Gulf Coast and Atlantic states and grades them based on adoption, enforcement, and contractor licensing.

While Florida’s building codes have been among the nation’s strongest for the past 20 years, they have improved over time. Therefore, a home built “to-code” in 2005 does not have the same level of protection as a home built in 2023. One key example is the sealed roof deck, which only became part of Florida’s statewide code last year. Homes built or reroofed prior to that are missing this important level of protection that IBHS studies show can stop escalating damage which often leads to expensive repairs and homeowner displacement.

“If your home wasn’t built or re-roofed to the newest code, you can make it stronger,” Giammanco added. “If your budget doesn’t allow bigger ticket items like a new roof or garage door, something as simple as trimming trees could help to make your home better protected. The most important thing is to take the first step.”

Visit www.disastersafety.org for the full Hurricane Ready guides and downloadable checklists to schedule and track progress.

By Ed Offley

The emergency came out of nowhere.

Anna Adams and her partner, Caleb, were riding “rover” patrol on Front Beach Road when the two city lifeguards found themselves in a life-or-death situation at the Bay County Pier.

“Right as we got there, we saw someone running up from the beach into the parking lot, waving his arms and pointing out in the water,” said Adams, 22. Brandon Friday, a newly arrived city resident, had been swimming with friends when he was caught by a rip current just west of the pier.

It was Saturday, February 25, and the formal tourist season kickoff was still four days away. But with single red flags warning beachgoers of elevated risk for rip currents, Beach Rescue Director Daryl Paul had deployed his team for the weekend.

An avid surfer and swimmer, Adams was beginning her fourth year as a lifeguard at Panama City Beach. “We had been training all winter,” she told PCB Life. “We knew that as soon as the season started, we’d have to be ready. You prepare yourself – but then it happens.”

Grabbing swim fins and her “can” – a rigid plastic flotation device known as a Burnside buoy – Adams raced into the surf. The same rip current that had overwhelmed the victim now swiftly carried her out several hundred yards, where she quickly spotted a shadow floating just under the surface.

It was Brandon Friday’s inert body. Adams dove under the form and came up holding him in a rescue position, then started swimming for shore. Even before reaching the shore, Caleb swam up and found no sign of a pulse. He began a Heimlich maneuver to expel water from the young man’s lungs, then started CPR.

Once on the beach, the lifeguards continued working on the victim, and to great relief detected a pulse on the still-unconscious man. An EMT crew arrived and transported Friday to the hospital. After several days in the intensive care unit, he subsequently recovered sufficiently to be released from the hospital, although a full recovery will take months.

“That gentleman is alive today because of that aggressive rescue culture that our lifeguards have,” Paul said.

As Spring Break neared its culmination in late March, opening the way for the rest of the spring tourist season, Paul said his lifeguards are well prepared for their vital mission.

The city currently has three manned lifeguard towers – one on either side of the city pier and a third along the beachfront at Boardwalk Beach Hotel & Resort, which has contracted with the city under a public-private partnership to provide lifeguard service.

Now fully operational, the city deploys nine lifeguards on the Gulf beachfront each day from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day. In addition, Paul and a deputy are available in case of an emergency. The lifeguards actually muster at 8:30 a.m. each day for two hours of exercise and training.

“We’re doing a lot better than in past years,” Paul said. Appointed to the director’s post in February after five years as a city firefighter and paramedic, Paul has a staff of eight full-time and four part-time employees in addition to the seasonal lifeguard staff. As of mid-March, the division had five seasonal lifeguards attending ocean rescue training and anticipated additional recruits in the months ahead.

“We have a nice returning staff,” Paul said. “I’d really be happy with fifteen seasonals.”
Anyone interested in becoming a beach lifeguard can apply through the city’s web site at pcbgov.com. Applicants must be able to run one mile within 12 minutes and swim 500 meters within 10 minutes. Qualified beach lifeguards earn $17 per hour.

In 2022, there were five drownings along the Gulf beachfront – all at places not patrolled by the city lifeguards, Paul said. At the guarded beaches? “Zero,” he said. In the first three weeks of March 2023, lifeguards made fifteen rescues and about 200 “preventative actions” where they stepped in before an emergency occurred.

For Anna Adams, the rescue of Brandon Friday was an adrenalin-pounding experience, but did not mark the start of her 2023 lifeguard service. “I had made two other rescues that day before that event,” she said.

From Mayor Mark Sheldon

The City Council prioritizes policies and projects to make this community the best it can be. The daily work of implementing policies and projects falls on our almost 400 employees who work tirelessly to make sure that you have all you need to enjoy every aspect of our paradise.

In 2020 the City adopted its first strategic plan, with an aim of creating and maintaining a safe, family-friendly, vibrant community with an outstanding quality of life. Priorities for 2021-26 were identified and I’d like to both review and update you on our accomplishments.

Priority One is Financial Health: This City Council is committed to fiscal responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

Our capital plans for the next several years are ambitious, but aren’t dependent on property taxes, as the city has no personal property tax. Our City budget, the largest yet, plans for growth but relies heavily on grants and other restricted revenue streams. In 2021-22, the City received 13 grants for stormwater outfall and drainage projects, septic-to-sewer conversions, streetlighting repairs, and more. Some grant projects are under construction, such as CRA lighting repairs and a fire training tower, and others are in the design stage.

We have federal and state lobbyists to ensure our community gets its fair share of public dollars. Last year these efforts began to pay off; we meet regularly with key lawmakers and departments in Washington D.C. and Tallahassee.

In 2022, we kicked off a multi-year process to implement a City-wide software update to unify City department activities. This will allow our Finance Department to produce real-time reports that will in turn better inform policy decisions as data is quickly and accurately generated.

Our second priority is Economic Development. We support economic development that will create a diverse, resilient, and long-term robust economy. To help, we stood up a citizen committee which created a video to showcase community resources for those looking to locate, or relocate, their businesses.

Our events contribute greatly to our business growth. The City hosts special events and tournaments year-round. There is always something to do here, as this is a real fun place to live, work and play. Thank-you to Visit Panama City Beach for successfully marketing our community.

Our biggest challenge is transportation mobility, our third priority in the strategic plan. Paramount to mobility is the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area.

Our Front Beach Road CRA recently marked its 20th year with the completion of Segment 2 and the start of Segment 3. A new CRA Manager was hired in 2021 to increase the pace of the project. Next year we expect to celebrate the completion of Segment 3. Please bear with us as we build Segments 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3. The completed redevelopment of this City main street will improve mobility, and the undergrounding of utilities will enhance appearance.

We also coordinated with FDOT to raise Alf Coleman Road out of the flood plain and add sidewalks, which should start construction this year. We also sought FDOT assistance to help fund a second roundabout on North Richard Jackson Boulevard. These north-south connectors are critical to the safety of students attending nearby schools. We are also currently underway with our street resurfacing program which will improve 17 miles of City streets.

We believe that the City’s overall appearance is critical to the community’s image, quality, and vitality.

We have spent over $1M on odor control measures at the wastewater treatment plant and several lift stations around the City. We have created no smoking areas in our parks and City beaches. We continue to place public art around the City as part of the SeeLife project and we will replace street lights along Front Beach Road and add signalized crosswalks.
The City is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its residents, businesses and visitors—our fourth priority.

The Council considers safety a top priority. Code enforcement helps keep our community clear of nuisances and patrols our beaches along with Beach Safety. We are upgrading our fire department assets with the construction of a new fire station by City Hall and we’ll be replacing Station 32 on Hutchison Boulevard. These projects are ready and fully funded. Our police department has increased our K-9 officers to eight – giving PCB the largest K-9 operation in the Panhandle. We are working on a grant to secure funding to build a K-9 housing facility, and we’re upgrading our police impound yard and expanding our community outreach efforts.

To further improve quality of life, the City will invest in and seek strategic partnerships to promote enhancements in the cultural, recreational, health, aesthetics and educational assets of the community.

Both the citizen survey and strategic plan highlighted a need for more healthcare. Through the vision of The St. Joe Company, FSU, and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, we are getting a new research and teaching hospital that will allow physicians to do their residencies here and stay here. This hospital is anticipated to have over 400 beds. Also, just outside the city limits, HCA has opened a free-standing ER!

The City and Visit Panama City Beach are funding more amenities for Frank Brown Park, including a skatepark, pickleball courts, basketball courts, a safe room, and a BMX course. We’re working with FDOT to construct a pedestrian overpass over PCB Parkway, allowing travel from Front Beach Road and Aaron Bessant Park to Gayle’s Trails at Frank Brown. We are adding another 1.5 miles to Gayle’s Trails from east of Clara to Breakfast Point, connecting past Arnold High School. Thanks to SUNTrail grant funds, the trail will cost the city less than $80,000.

We have worked with FDOT to keep the 6-laning of PCB Parkway moving and are relocating utility lines. Two contracts to widen the road will be in place this year allowing work to happen simultaneously. One is from Mandy Lane at the entrance to the park, to Nautilus. The second is from Nautilus to Richard Jackson.

The City is growing, but we are staying true to who we are as a family destination.
Find Mayor Sheldon’s speech in its entirety at https://www.pcbfl.gov/Home/Components/News/News/5228/18.

By Ed Offley

Bay County law enforcement agencies have joined forces to prevent a repeat of the widespread chaos that engulfed Panama City Beach during Spring Break last year.

“We don’t have a crystal ball, but we can prepare for what might happen,” Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez told reporters this week. “We are not going to tolerate criminal behavior on the beach or anywhere else.”

During two chaotic days late last March, thousands of people descended on Panama City Beach after a social media campaign called for a “Panamaniac” invasion of the city. Police and sheriff’s deputies responded to scores of criminal incidents including disorderly conduct, mass looting, drug dealing and violence. More than 160 invaders were arrested, and police seized over 100 illegal weapons.

Joining Talamantez at a press conference on Wednesday, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford, Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith and PCB Fire Rescue Chief Ray Morgan itemized a series of advance steps taken to prevent a recurrence of unrest when Spring Break 2023 runs during March 10-April 10, with particular concern for the five-day period spanning March 23-27. They include:

• The three law enforcement agencies, along with the Florida State Patrol, are closely coordinating their planning and response capabilities for that period. “We’ve become like one giant [police] department, said Panama City Police Chief Smith.
• In what Sheriff Ford called “intelligence-led policing models” the agencies are aggressively monitoring social media platforms to detect any signs of any “flash mob” organizing effort that targets Panama City Beach. It was such an online campaign that attracted thousands of street toughs from Alabama and Georgia to the area in 2022. Several online postings have already been detected calling for people to throng the beach in March.
• New technologies, including the county’s Real-time Operations Center (BayROC), with expanded use of aerial drones and civilian video feeds, will give authorities the ability to rapidly identify and respond to emerging problem areas;
• Ordinances prohibiting alcohol consumption sales after 2 a.m., traffic disruption, excessive noise, unlawful gatherings and rowdy beach scenes that are already on the books will be enforced with “zero tolerance” during Spring Break. The city also has the authority to close specific sections of the Gulf beachfront to prevent unruly crowds forming. One new state law authorizes police to impound vehicles if the operator commits an unlawful act.

While some of the organizers of the 2022 incident have been arrested and charged, Talamantez and his colleagues went a step farther this week, releasing a roster of 24 Alabama and Georgia men who still have outstanding arrest warrants from 2022. They have distributed the list – which includes photographs, names, addresses and criminal charges – to area hotels, condos and vacation rental managers.

Talamantez told any would-be troublemakers, “If you want to run the gauntlet … you can try to take that risk. But you won’t be checking in to a hotel, you’ll be checking into the jail.”

“We need the community’s help,” Talamantez said. He urged rental property managers and other business owners to be vigilant and to notify police if they observe any suspicious activity. “If you see something, say something.”

By Mayor Mark Sheldon

I hope 2023 finds everyone happy, healthy, and on track for a prosperous and successful year!

Florida is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., and Panama City Beach is not immune to that growth. As we enter the new year, I wanted to let you know about a few things going on in the City. We are diligently moving forward with many infrastructure projects to accommodate the rapid growth we continue to experience.

Some of these projects are the 17 lane miles of street resurfacing, construction of a new fire station, development of the next 1.44-mile segment of Gayle’s Trails, and numerous new amenities at our parks.

The City is also seeing extensive private development, like the new hospital coming on State Road 79, another beach ER opening on the east end, new hotels, a large-scale winery, and a major golf attraction.

You cannot look around this City and not see our progress. We have come a long way over the last few years, and we won’t let up on our plans for the future in order to guarantee a continued great quality of life for our residents.

Let’s look at some of our recent accomplishments.

After 50 years without one, Panama City Beach finally has a strategic plan and a business plan with both long- and short-term goals which we evaluate yearly. The strategic plan, adopted in 2020, was needed as a roadmap for the future. Our 2021-2026 Strategic Plan keeps us on track in pursuing our priorities and guides the beach in our vision to be a safe, family-friendly, vibrant community that values residents, businesses, and visitors, supports cultural and economic diversity, and maintains outstanding quality of life.

As part of the strategic planning process, residents reaffirmed what we already knew to be our number one challenge and priority: a better, multi-modal transportation system is desperately needed to enhance mobility.

This year, you will see how much is going on to improve traffic flow as we continue construction and expansion going east in the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) from Arnold Road to Lullwater to Hills to Lantana. This project, with multiple segments, adds sidewalks and bicycle and tram lanes to expand transportation options.

Also, Panama City Beach Parkway will be expanded to six lanes this year from east of State Road 79, at the entrance to Frank Brown Park, all the way to Nautilus, and then from Nautilus to Richard Jackson Boulevard. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) understands the main east/west thoroughfare through the City requires additional capacity to handle the traffic flow.

FDOT is also resurfacing Hutchison Boulevard, adding ADA-compliant sidewalks on the south side, and making other improvements up State Road 79.

Additionally, the City is expanding sidewalks on Hills and Alf Coleman, raising Alf Coleman, and making improvements to many connector roads that take residents from PCB Parkway to Front Beach Road.

As private developers invest in our community, we want to make sure they are good stewards of the environment and are preserving green space for our residents to enjoy. The City has added a requirement that subdivisions reserve space in their developments for neighborhood parks. We cannot stop development, especially in light of the increased demand for housing here, but we can put stipulations in place for responsible growth.
Over the course of the last two years, we have been successful in engaging residents through our communications efforts. Open communication is paramount to a thriving city. Through our various social media pages and our website, we reach hundreds of thousands of people each year. Our City Facebook page, which has 117,000 followers, is where you can watch Council meetings, learn about upcoming events, be alerted to road construction projects, receive infrastructure updates, and participate in community contests.

It is my belief that transparency builds trust and creates public buy-in. We always want to convey accurate and timely information to you, our residents, businesses, and visitors, as community stakeholders.

In addition, anyone – regardless of where they live – can come to our council meetings and speak. Anyone can bring their concerns to PCB elected officials.

We know that we already have a great quality of life here on the world’s most beautiful beaches, but we continue to work to make it better. We have installed odor control devices at our wastewater treatment plant and we are anticipating adding more amenities to our parks, including a skatepark, six pickleball courts, new basketball courts, a BMX park, and more.

We continue adding public art around town through our SeeLife program. We have a contract for a revamp of the Russell-Fields City Pier, considered our main street. And we are getting rid of an eyesore on the beach with the Lullwater outfall project which will reduce beach erosion and the potential of flooding around Lullwater Lake.

There is a lot going on and the future is very bright for Panama City Beach. As always, I appreciate your support of our City. Together, we can accomplish much. Thank you.

By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools

January is a time for new beginnings, resolution, and goal setting. Like many of you, there are lots of things that come to my mind when I think about those concepts personally but professionally, I have really just one.

I wish every student in our community who needs a mentor could have one.

So many of our children are growing up in homes with single moms or dads, being raised by grandparents or living in difficult circumstances at best. These students often need the additional attention of a trusted adult at school (outside of the support already being provided by our amazing staff members), and that’s where you come in. For a time investment of a couple of hours a month, you can literally change the life of a child, and that’s no exaggeration. Almost every day, I hear stories about students who have gained confidence and motivation thanks to the help of their mentors. I hear about increased academic achievement from students who are spurred on to try harder by their mentors, and I hear about huge gains made by struggling students who are now benefitting from one-on-one time.

But I also hear from the mentors. Mentors who had no idea how many challenges are faced by our children. Mentors who are amazed at the children who keep coming to school every day despite obstacles like homelessness, food instability, and constant relocation.
ALL of our schools are always looking for more mentors, and there are three ways to get involved, depending on your interests and availability.

Elevate Bay
Elevate Bay primarily serves our elementary schools. The program requires mentors to go through a one-hour training and then matches them with students in need. Elevate Bay mentors commit to two 30-minute sessions a month (but many go every week because they enjoy it), which may be spent just talking, working on academics, problem-solving, or doing enrichment activities under the direction of the classroom teacher.

Elevate Bay currently has 350 mentors with about 200 children on a waiting list. The district’s goal for this program is 1,000 mentors.

To find out more about this program, contact Stacey Legg at (850) 767-4128 or leggsl@bay.k12.fl.us.

Take Stock In Children
Bay Education Foundation runs this program and matches volunteer mentors with high school students who have been accepted into the Take Stock program. Students who complete the program receive two-year college scholarships, and many of them are the first in their families to attend college. Take Stock currently has 85 mentors and can’t bring in additional students until more mentors are recruited.

To find out more about Bay Education Foundation, contact them at (850) 767-4111 or bayedfoundation@bay.k12.fl.us.

New Horizons
New Horizons is one of our center schools providing individualized attention for students who struggle with behavior and academics. Mentors at New Horizons play a critical role in the school’s success and have an opportunity to develop really close relationships with boys and girls in grades 6-12. New Horizons mentors help students find jobs, complete graduation requirements and figure out what they want to do after school.
To find out more about this program, contact them at (850) 767-1110 or pongrgr@bay.k12.fl.us

New Horizons currently has 75 mentors but needs an additional 20 to serve all the students who would like to participate.

I hope everyone reading this is having a Happy New Year, and I hope that giving back is part of your plan for 2023! We’d LOVE to talk with you about ways you can get involved as a mentor or as a school volunteer, just email us at BDScomm@bay.k12.fl.us and we will be happy to match you with a need in our district.