Planning board upholds staff decision to rescind stop-work order for dock at 3411 West 15th Street; petitioners plan DEP appeal

The Panama City Planning Board on July 14 voted 5–0 to affirm city staff’s May 23 decision to rescind a stop-work order on construction of a dock at 3411 West 15th Street, allowing the owner to continue work pending the outcome of an administrative appeal to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

City staffer Michael Fuller opened the record and summarized the administrative review that led to his decision to rescind the stop-work order. He cited the Unified Land Development Code provision requiring that a dock “shall not impede the flow of water, nor navigation,” and told the board the applicant had provided updated plans showing the constructed dock extends 246 feet rather than the 260 feet shown on earlier drawings. “Based on this, we had no other reason or justification to leave the stop‑work order in place,” Fuller said, and he offered to answer board questions about ULDC §110-4(g) and other permitting checks.

Four petitioners opposed the rescission and presented evidence: Joe Popsall (petition filing/affected party), Captain Joe Popsall (same speaker), Captain James Pick, Sterling Anderson, Nick Trudell and others who described repeated use of the Lake Huntington channel and testified that the newly constructed dock impedes navigation under…