PANAMA CITY, Fla. — City engineer Stacy Rausch presented a package of technical text amendments to the Unified Land Development Code Tuesday aimed at strengthening stormwater design and formalizing road-acceptance procedures.

Rausch said the changes respond to inconsistencies she sees across local practice and neighboring jurisdictions. She told the planning board the amendments would add a 6-inch freeboard requirement for stormwater ponds (so ponds show a 6-inch margin between the 25-year peak water level and the top of the berm), require modeling to demonstrate a pond will not overtop in a 100-year storm, and require geotechnical testing and post-construction verification for new roads before the city will accept them into the maintenance system.

Why it matters: The amendments change what designers must model and document in permit applications. Requiring a 6-inch freeboard and 100-year modeling reduces the risk of pond overtopping during large rain events, and requiring geotechnical reports reduces the chance the city accepts a road that will need costly repairs soon after acceptance.

Presentation and board questions

Rausch told the board these practices align Panama City with Panama City Beach and Bay County standards. She said developers will provide design documentation at the development-order stage and then a post-construction geotechnical report showing the constructed road profile and seasonal high-water-table measurements. She noted city standards currently require geotechnical testing for reconstructing roads but not consistently for new construction; the amendment fills that gap.

Board members asked about testing frequency and consequences for failing acceptance criteria. Rausch said geotech sampling is required every 500 feet or at each intersection (whichever is less) and that the city will not accept a road that fails the acceptance criteria; the developer or neighborhood would need to correct the deficiencies or maintain the road privately.

Outcome and next steps

The planning board approved the text amendments 5–0. Staff will prepare ordinance language and update development-review checklists and technical conditions; public works and development services will incorporate the new submittal requirements.

Sources: Panama City Planning Board transcript, Oct. 13, 2025; presentation by Stacy Rausch, City Engineer.