With the shortage of boat storage increasing every year and the process of creating new storage possibilities becoming more difficult, mooring issues in public waterways becomes a larger problem. The county commission is discussing a resolution, a link to the article can be found here.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Grand Lagood Bridge - Wishful Thinking?
The bridge at Grand Lagoon has needed expansion for quite some time. Currently the opening is 107 feet and is slated to be expanded to 207 feet. In addition there will be two lanes of traffic each way with walkways and bike paths on either side.
Here's the problem: Estimated construction costs have risen from $12.4 million to $18.5 million because of increases in construction costs. It is interesting that the consulting firm for the county on this project seems to be way off on their numbers.
A link to the article can be found here.
Here's the problem: Estimated construction costs have risen from $12.4 million to $18.5 million because of increases in construction costs. It is interesting that the consulting firm for the county on this project seems to be way off on their numbers.
A link to the article can be found here.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Bay County Airport - Different Points of View
Today I received an email asking me to post two articles found on the airport that discuss a point of view that he agreed with. Before you read it, I'll just say that it is a doom and gloom, shouting conspiracy kinda' article.
Let me just go ahead and say, if you hadn't guessed already, that I am very much for the new airport and the growth that it will bring this area. The articles mention that St. Joe has tremendous influence on the relocation and has motives that align with making their pocket books thick. Of course that is one of their intentions. Think about it. The purpose of being in business is to make money. If you have some complex of "rich people", "the man", or "the corporation", get over it. The American way is to have an idea, capitalize on it and get rich; some people got it, some people don't.
Additionally, St. Joe can build all the homes that they want, but if they don't have anyone to purchase them, the whole airport idea is flushed down the toilet. I could be wrong, but I'm sure St. Joe has done their homework on whether there will be a market for whatever they are planning to develop in the West Bay area.
Another thing the articles state is that the traffic at the Panama City Airport has decreased in the past few years. Of course it has. The only time I fly out of here is when someone else is paying my fare; it costs twice as much to fly out of here than Ft. Walton or Pensacola. If that's what I do, I'm sure many others do it as well. I'm not even a frequent traveler. Not to mention the small puddle jumpers that will only take you to Atlanta or Memphis. I'm getting motion sickness just thinking about them.
Also, you have to remember that Bay County residents will not be the only patrons to this new airport. People will drive from Destin, Ft. Walton, Dothan, Tallahassee and more to fly out of there.
I'm not as educated as some on this topic, these are just my opinions based on the knowledge that I have. I respect other people’s opinions and am grateful that we live in a nation that we can debate such issues. It is my opinion that the airport will bring great growth and progress to this area. I’m opening a can of worms, but what do you think?
The link to the article can be found here.
Let me just go ahead and say, if you hadn't guessed already, that I am very much for the new airport and the growth that it will bring this area. The articles mention that St. Joe has tremendous influence on the relocation and has motives that align with making their pocket books thick. Of course that is one of their intentions. Think about it. The purpose of being in business is to make money. If you have some complex of "rich people", "the man", or "the corporation", get over it. The American way is to have an idea, capitalize on it and get rich; some people got it, some people don't.
Additionally, St. Joe can build all the homes that they want, but if they don't have anyone to purchase them, the whole airport idea is flushed down the toilet. I could be wrong, but I'm sure St. Joe has done their homework on whether there will be a market for whatever they are planning to develop in the West Bay area.
Another thing the articles state is that the traffic at the Panama City Airport has decreased in the past few years. Of course it has. The only time I fly out of here is when someone else is paying my fare; it costs twice as much to fly out of here than Ft. Walton or Pensacola. If that's what I do, I'm sure many others do it as well. I'm not even a frequent traveler. Not to mention the small puddle jumpers that will only take you to Atlanta or Memphis. I'm getting motion sickness just thinking about them.
Also, you have to remember that Bay County residents will not be the only patrons to this new airport. People will drive from Destin, Ft. Walton, Dothan, Tallahassee and more to fly out of there.
I'm not as educated as some on this topic, these are just my opinions based on the knowledge that I have. I respect other people’s opinions and am grateful that we live in a nation that we can debate such issues. It is my opinion that the airport will bring great growth and progress to this area. I’m opening a can of worms, but what do you think?
The link to the article can be found here.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Out with the old, in with the new - Bay County Airport that is.
I wanted to be one of the first to post this online, even though I don't have much news yet.
As most of you know, 4 bids went in for the sale of the existing airport site on Monday September 25. Those bids ranged anywhere from $30 million to $61 million. Some included a full range of possible development plans and others stated nothing other than that they will "provide adequate parks and recreational areas as determined by their experienced and knowledgeable land planner."
I would think that you would want to be a little more specific, but hey, what do I know?
I haven't read anywhere that they'd accepted any offers, just that they were releasing the bid specifics to the public. As there is not much news on this just yet, I'll be updating the blog first thing in the morning.
By the way, to get a glimpse at the highlights of the 4 bids, click here.
- Edited 10/06/06
The News Herald wrote an article on the release of information on the bids, they don't provide much information, however, a link to the article can be found here.
As most of you know, 4 bids went in for the sale of the existing airport site on Monday September 25. Those bids ranged anywhere from $30 million to $61 million. Some included a full range of possible development plans and others stated nothing other than that they will "provide adequate parks and recreational areas as determined by their experienced and knowledgeable land planner."
I would think that you would want to be a little more specific, but hey, what do I know?
I haven't read anywhere that they'd accepted any offers, just that they were releasing the bid specifics to the public. As there is not much news on this just yet, I'll be updating the blog first thing in the morning.
By the way, to get a glimpse at the highlights of the 4 bids, click here.
- Edited 10/06/06
The News Herald wrote an article on the release of information on the bids, they don't provide much information, however, a link to the article can be found here.
- Edited 10/07/06
I was doing some digging and found an interesting website. Check it out at Aero-News.net. Also, click here to see what they've got to say about our airport.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Panama City Beach Statistics
I was doing some digging and found some interesting stats on pcbeach.org.
- 27 miles of world famous white sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico
- 6 million tourists
- Direct tourist expenditures of $537 million
- $1.5 billion economic impact from tourism
- $163 million in accommodation sales
- $413 million in goods and services
- Over 14,000 local jobs
- 612,602 households within a 100 mile radius of Panama City Beach
- 14 miles to Panama City and 41 miles to Destin
Visitor Profile
- Overnight leisure travel is 77% of all traveler spending in Panama City Beach
- Panama City Beach travel parties include 3.11 persons; families account for the largestnumber of travelers
- The average length of stay is 4.1 nights
- 82% of isitors to the area arrive via automobile
- 74% of Panama City Beach visitors have visited the destination more than once
Awards for Panama City Beach
- #4 Most Popular Vacation Rental Destination - Hotels.com - 2004
- Top Beach - American Coastal Coalition - 2002
- #3 Golf Town un the US - Golf Digest Magazine - 2002
- Clean Beach Award - The Clean Beaches Council - 2002
- #3 Beach in America - The Surfrider Foundation - 2000
- Top Five "Best Beaches" - Southern Living - 2000
- #1 Beach - Dr. Beach (Stephen Letherman) - 1995
Top Markets for Panama City Beach Tourism
- Top Ten States: Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Indiana,Illinois, Michigan
- Top Five Cities: Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville
- Top Market Segments: Leisure traveler, sports market, special events winter residents, and meetings and conventions
Monday, October 02, 2006
Bubble Trouble?
Frantic speculators and doom and gloom Realtors are looking for new jobs for fear that the real estate bubble is popping. The market right now is going through a natural cyclical correction, and perhaps "bubble" isn't the correct term to define our real estate market. The definition of a market "bubble" consists of values dropping literally over night. The current changes in the real estate market are not reflecting this behavior.
Kendra Todd was the first female winner of Trumps' "Apprentice" and has some interesting input with regards to the real estate bubble. The article can be found here.
Kendra Todd was the first female winner of Trumps' "Apprentice" and has some interesting input with regards to the real estate bubble. The article can be found here.
Fowler's Wild Kingdom coming here?
October 2, 2006
In the news recently have been reports of Jim Fowler bringing an animal preserve to the Florida Panhandle area, specifically Washington County. A link to the article can be found here.
Also, there have been rumors of a Busch Gardens in Defuniak Springs and something Disney north on Highway 79. It makes sense to put large attractions such as these close to this area. The feeder markets could range from Pensacola to Jacksonville and all of southern Alabama and Georgia. The local tourism market in this area would thrive and we would have someone to put in all those condos that are nearing completion.
In the news recently have been reports of Jim Fowler bringing an animal preserve to the Florida Panhandle area, specifically Washington County. A link to the article can be found here.
Also, there have been rumors of a Busch Gardens in Defuniak Springs and something Disney north on Highway 79. It makes sense to put large attractions such as these close to this area. The feeder markets could range from Pensacola to Jacksonville and all of southern Alabama and Georgia. The local tourism market in this area would thrive and we would have someone to put in all those condos that are nearing completion.
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