PANAMA CITY — Bay County commissioners will discuss potential Spring Break changes Tuesday at a public workshop.
Bay County Commission Chairman Guy Tunnell said the agenda for workshop was specifically “uncumbersome” and he does not expect commissioners to make a decision.
“I want us to take the input of the public and give it some thought,” Tunnell said. “We have to consider the impact of what changes we would make and the impact they would make on the community.”
Tunnell did offer that the first part of the workshop will be to update the commissioners and public on the six meetings that took place between County Commissioner Mike Thomas, Sheriff Frank McKeithen, Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst and Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman.
Thomas said the best course of action would be for the county to make a list of recommendations for Panama City Beach, as the county normally only patrols in unincorporated areas.
“Whatever rules they adopt, we’ll adopt,” he said.
Thomas, whose district includes Panama City Beach, believes this year was a turning point for college Spring Break discussions and that restrictions must be enacted and enforced.
“I don’t think there is any way to help it and save it at the same time,” he said. “You need to make a statement that we don’t want that here, we don’t need that here.”
Maj. Tommy Ford said Bay County Sheriff’s Office’s calls were up more than 58 percent this year from 2007. He added that crimes have become increasingly severe, with more guns found and more violent crime. His office is stretched too thin, he said, with as many as 150,000 extra people in Panama City Beach during Spring Break.
“The last several years we’ve been at a critical point,” he said. “We’re definitely seeing some trends that are disturbing.”
Corky Young, division chief of emergency medical services, also said the calls his staff received were more serious, such as stabbings and overdoses. However, the volume of calls was about the same as in previous years.
“My staff’s job was more difficult,” he said. “We were a little more on edge.”
BCSO input
McKeithen has circulated his suggestions, including not allowing alcoholic beverages on beaches or parking lots during Spring Break and requiring bars, clubs and establishments to stop serving alcohol by 2 a.m. during Spring Break.
Whitman said he agrees with the sheriff and has a few more requirements, including restricting cooler size to prevent large parties and closing all parking lots to outside drivers by 5 p.m. Whitman will attend Tuesday’s workshop and is prepared to field questions, although he does not plan to speak.
“What I’m hoping is that we as the city and they as the county work together,” Whitman said. “We all have to work together and do something as a community to make it safer.”
Panama City Beach City Manager Mario Gisbert also will attend the meeting and answer questions, as will Councilwoman Josie Strange. She feels she is in the minority among the council members but agrees with the restrictions posed for the beach.
“This is a no-brainer. We can’t allow alcohol on the beach,” she said. “I’m tired of our resources being stretched thin. I don’t think they realize that we have to rip the Band-aid off fast and hard on this.”
Business input
Some business owners are apprehensive about Spring Break restrictions and urge policy makers to not overact to national media reports, specifically the Fox News segment by Sean Hannity.
Sparky Sparkman, president of Spinnakers, said restricting alcohol on the beach would eventually end Spring Break. He said this year was no worse than other years, speaking from 30 years of experience owning a Spring Break destination.
“Panama City Beach has a lot of experience doing this. We do it better than Daytona or Fort Lauderdale,” he said. “They should not let something like ‘Hannity’ be a deterrent. I guarantee I can get that same footage in July as ‘Hannity’ got in March.”
However, a few businesses favor restrictions. The Palmetto Hotel caters to families year-round, and hotel manager Natalie Greve said the recent Spring Break coverage has cost it business.
“For a long time there was balance,” she said. “Now it’s getting where families aren’t even coming.”
The family versus college Spring Break argument was something broached by Tunnell, Thomas and Strange.
“We as a community need to decide what we need to be when we grow up,” Tunnell said. “Do we want to make a change and become a family resort community?”
“The economy is turning around, but we’re still capable of killing it,” Thomas added. “We could lose June and July over March.”
But Sparkman said families are not going to come down in March to make up the difference of revenue lost if college Spring Break were saddled with onerous restrictions.
“It’s ambitious to pursue something like that, but we’re not there yet,” Sparkman said. “We’re not an international destination. We’re not Fort Lauderdale or Miami.”
Want To Go?
- What: Bay County Commission workshop on Spring Break
- When: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday
- Where: Bay County Government Building, 840 W. 11th St.