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Venetian Villas residents press Panama City for fixes, ask for tax abatement as street-rebuild disrupts neighborhood
Summary
Multiple residents from Venetian Villas urged the commission to respond to months of dust, standing water, damaged docks and limited access after city-contracted infrastructure work removed pavement across several streets. Residents asked the commission to consider a 50% property-tax abatement for affected homes while work continues.
Dozens of residents from the Venetian Villas neighborhood told the City Commission on March 18 that months of construction-related disruptions have left many streets unpaved, with standing water, damaged private property and impeded access during heavy rain.
"We have students getting off school bus, walking through the mud to get back home," resident Danny Bishop said during the meeting's audience participation period. Bishop and other speakers said some neighbors have reported vehicle damage, one homeowner reported more than $15,000 in damage to a boat dock, and multiple residents said storm drains were not functioning and that at times they were unable to leave their driveways because of standing water and deep mud.
Commissioners and staff explained the work is part of a larger SRF (state revolving fund) infrastructure project across project areas F1 and F2 that replaces water, sewer and storm lines and rebuilds curbs and roads. Assistant City Manager Jared Jones and other staff said the project contractor, Gulf Coast Utility Construction, is on site daily and that the city maintains construction engineering inspection staff on site. Jones said mobilization and sequencing required removal of pavement across several blocks rather than one street at a time. "When you're redoing everything at once, it... is a huge challenge," he told the commission.
Actions and follow-up: Commissioners asked staff to arrange a one-on-one meeting between residents and project management (assistant city manager and contractor) and to explore immediate measures such as temporary pumps for standing water. Mayor and commissioners agreed staff should work with Gulf Coast Utility Construction to reduce the risk of residents being trapped in homes and to improve communication with affected households. Assistant city manager Jones said the city would set an additional meeting with the contractor and connect residents to project staff.
Resident requests: Bishop formally asked the commission to consider a 50% abatement of this year's property taxes for affected households while the streets remain unpaved. Commissioners acknowledged the hardship and said they would review options, but no fiscal action was taken at the meeting.
Ending: Staff committed to follow up with residents, to meet on site with the contractor, and to investigate temporary drainage remedies; commissioners emphasized that the project aims to replace decades-old buried utilities but acknowledged the current disruption and asked staff to prioritize residents' access and communications.
