PCB packed for holiday weekend // video

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Local hoteliers and tourism officials are forecasting sunny skies and sold-out rooms in Panama City Beach for the upcoming July Fourth weekend.

“It’s looking to be a banner year with the Fourth falling on a Friday,” said Andy Phillips, president at Counts-Oakes Resort Properties. “It’s going to be as big as we could hope for.”

Phillips said Counts-Oakes properties are sold out for the weekend and are charging premium rates due to high demand.

“Virtually everywhere is sold out at premium rates,” said Phillips, adding that June also is beginning to rival July in terms of revenue, largely due to the frequency of summer baseball and softball tournaments, which bring in hundreds of teams each week. “The beach has been virtually sold out for the last two weeks, which is unheard of.”

VIDEO

Over the last few weeks, the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce has been flooded with calls from hopeful vacationers unable to find accommodations for the July 4 weekend. While chamber information specialist Teresa Graves has done her best to refer callers to chamber lodging members with available rooms, she said the vacancy list ultimately has been depleted.

“It seems like it’s booked bridge to bridge,” Graves said. “It’s going to be a busy, busy week.”

July traditionally marks the biggest month of revenues for the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC), which collects a 5-cent “bed tax” on short-term rentals in Panama City Beach.

The week of July Fourth represents the busiest week for tourism in the area, said Phillips, who also serves on the TDC, but last year the holiday week was welcomed with days of torrential rain, a deterrent for many vacationers.

However, the inclement weather didn’t stop the TDC from breaking records for bed tax collections last July, with $3.14 million in revenues collected, up from $3 million in July 2012.

“Last year when we had those three or four days of rain, it just killed everything,” Phillips said. “This year, it’s just going to be a great week altogether.”

‘It’s beautiful’

Many Panama City Beach hot spots already were filled with visitors early this week.

Yolanda Hernandez and her family from Houston explored Pier Park on Tuesday with three small dogs in tow. Although the family has visited other beaches in Florida, the pet-friendly hotel they’re staying in caught their attention for a summer getaway.

“It’s our first time to be out of Texas with the puppies,” said Hernandez, who was joined by her son Roland and daughter Ingrid, who recently graduated from high school.

“It’s beautiful,” Ingrid said of the area.

Darlene Hilliard and her 8-year-old son, Evan, also enjoyed Pier Park on Tuesday with several other members of Team Icon, a youth baseball team from Semmes, Ala.

The team is one of many participating in the Grand Slam World Series at Frank Brown Park. For the Hilliards, however, Panama City Beach is a familiar place.

“To play baseball, this is the first time, but we come here a pretty good bit,” Hilliard said.