Community

By Jack Smith Last week I had to travel from Lake Powell to Panama City to see a client. We all say that we love and need the tourists, however they have turned a fifteen minute drive into an hour. After sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for 55 minutes...

By Marta Rose-Thorpe Christopher Warren Gough comes from a family of military and criminal justice officers. He is a licensed broker within Florida, Washington, and California, with 27 years of experience in many areas of the real estate industry including training and motivating countless Top Producers. He recently joined the...

By Abigail Davis We’ve always been told to ‘not judge a book by it’s cover’ and The Salt Shed & Company is a perfect example of why you must first take a look inside. The Salt Shed, a locally owned and operated home and garden boutique, is now partnering with...

By Panama City Beach Mayor Mark Sheldon Panama City Beach is currently experiencing its biggest tourist year on record. We have had more visitors on the sandy beach in 2021 than we have ever had before. Ever. The numbers started growing in March, with a large influx of visitors during the...

By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools By the time you read this we will have welcomed back our students and staff for the 2021-2022 school year. I know you join me in hoping and praying for a more “normal” school year this year for our students, our staff and...

By Ed Offley It’s been a record year for tourists visiting Panama City Beach, but thanks to stepped-up water safety measures, the area has evaded the spike in drownings that occurred all too frequently in recent years. But the path has not been easy, says the city’s Beach Safety Division chief. “It’s...

By Marta Rose-Thorpe Suzy Nichols has been fishing since she was four years old, and her fondest memories go back to when she was a kid fishing with her dad. “I have always been my dad’s fishing buddy,” she says. She recalls a memory of when she was nine years...

“If we wouldn’t wear it, we don’t share it.” By Marta Rose-Thorpe Katy Pinson launched Save the Closet, a free mobile closet (non-profit organization) for communities affected by natural disasters and individuals in life transition, following Hurricane Michael. Katy moved to Bay County, Florida from Charlotte, North Carolina, in the spring...

By Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County If you call my office with questions about your lawn the first question I will ask is, “what type of grass do you have?” In Northwest Florida, there are four common species of warm season turfgrasses installed in landscapes and utility areas. Each...

On June 17, 2021, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida (BBBSNWFL) surprised Panama City Beach Police Corporal, Tiffany McCullough, with the 2021 Virginia Thomas Big of the Year Award at the Panama City Beach Police Department. Tiffany reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida in 2014...