The Types of Housing Units in Bay County, Florida in 2006

Single-unit structures: 56%

In multi-unit structures: 27%

Mobile homes: 17%

Source: American Community Survey, 2006

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: In 2006, Bay County had 72,000 occupied housing units - 46,000 (63 percent) owner occupied and 27,000 (37 percent) renter occupied. Five percent of the households did not have telephone service and 5 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Multi-vehicle households were not rare. Forty-four percent had two vehicles and another 16 percent had three or more.

HOUSING COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,175, nonmortgaged owners $349, and renters $755. Thirty-five percent of owners with mortgages, 16 percent of owners without mortgages, and 52 percent of renters in Bay County spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Occupants with a Housing Cost Burden in Bay County, Florida in 2006 - Percent paying 30 percent or more of income for housing

Owners with mortgage: 35%

Owners without mortgage: 16%

Renters: 52%

Source: American Community Survey, 2006

GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY: In 2006, 77 percent of the people at least one year old living in Bay County were living in the same residence one year earlier; 14 percent had moved during the past year from another residence in the same county, 3 percent from another county in the same state, 5 percent from another state, and 1 percent from abroad.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Bay County, Florida in 2006

Same residence: 77%

Different residence, same county: 14%

Different county, same state: 3%

Different state: 5%

Abroad: 1%

Source: American Community Survey, 2006

OCCUPATIONS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYER: Among the most common occupations were: Management, professional, and related occupations, 31 percent; Sales and office occupations, 30 percent; Service occupations, 18 percent; Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations, 12 percent; and Production, transportation, and material moving occupations, 9 percent. Seventy-six percent of the people employed were Private wage and salary workers; 17 percent was Federal, state, or local government workers; and 7 percent was Self-employed in own not incorporated business workers.

TRAVEL TO WORK: Eighty-one percent of Bay County workers drove to work alone in 2006, 10 percent carpooled, less than 0.5 percent took public transportation, and 5 percent used other means. The remaining 4 percent worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21.6 minutes to get to work.

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS: In 2006, Bay County had a total of 95,000 housing units, 24 percent of which were vacant. Of the total housing units, 56 percent was in single-unit structures, 27 percent was in multi-unit structures, and 17 percent was mobile homes. Thirty-one percent of the housing units were built since 1990.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Press Release
PANAMA CITY, Florida (November 1, 2007) The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) today held a ceremonial groundbreaking initiating the construction phase its new state-of-the-art international airport. 

The airport is being built in the 75,000-acre West Bay Area Sector on 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site being donated to the Airport Authority by The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE).

With this ceremony, work also soon will began on an unprecedented environmental preservation effort designed to help protect the entire West Bay watershed, an area considered one of Florida’s environmental jewels. Relocation of the airport triggers the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area, a conservation area that will permanently protect approximately 40,000 acres around West Bay, including 33 miles of undeveloped shoreline and an additional 44 miles of creeks and tributaries.

The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) is nearing completion of a ten-year process to relocate the Panama City – Bay County airport.  The relocated airport is expected to be the first new airport built since September 11, 2001.

In late 1980s the Airport Authority began an effort to address significant deficiencies at the existing airport, including non-standard runway safety areas.  When local environmentalists and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection objected to extending the existing runway system into Goose Bayou, a particularly environmentally sensitive part of St. Andrews Bay, the Airport Authority began considering relocating the airport.

After working with the FAA to complete a feasibility study in 2000 and a site selection study in 2001, the Airport Authority identified a new site for the airport in northwestern Bay County (West Bay) on land owned by The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE).

Following the FAA’s selection of the site, the Airport Authority partnered with the State of Florida, Bay County and The St. Joe Company in an innovative planning process authorized by Florida law known as “optional sector permitting and planning.”  The process included dozens of public meetings, data gathering, analysis and visioning for the future.  The plan was approved by Bay County and the State of Florida in 2002 and detailed specific area plans were also approved in 2003.  Its policies will guide future development and conservation of the West Bay area. 

One of the most innovative elements of the plan, in addition to the airport and economic development provisions, is the proposed West Bay Preservation Area.  The West Bay Preservation was designed by local and state environmental leaders to preserve the health and habitat of West Bay forever.  This watershed scale plan will preserve approximately 40,000 acres and, when fully implemented, include the provision of habitat corridors, open space and stream protection. 

Simplified, the objective of the West Bay Preservation Area is to maintain West Bay in its present, pristine state forever.  Its vision, especially when compared to the development that has occurred on Florida’s other bay front lands, holds the potential to be one of the most significant conservation measures in Florida history.  The plan was won statewide praise including the “2007 Promising Practices Award” from the Council for Sustainable Florida this month.

 In 2004 the FAA began preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement considering two-dozen alternatives for addressing the deficiencies at the existing airport.  In May 2006 the FAA issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement, identifying relocation to the West Bay Site as its Preferred Alternative.  In September 2006, the FAA issued its Record of Decision recommending and approving relocation of the Panama City airport to the proposed site in West Bay.

In August 2007, after extensive review, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Section 404 permit, the final permit necessary to begin construction of the airport.

In September 2007, the Airport Authority approved a contract to sell the current airport site to a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation of New York (NYSE:  LUK) for $56.5 million in cash and an estimated $38 million in transfer fees from the sale of future properties developed on site. The current airport site is approximately 700 acres adjacent to North Bay in Panama City.

Under the Airport Authority’s current schedule, the new airport is expected to open in the first quarter of 2010.