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Panama City explores boat-ramp fees, short-term marina slips and outside funding amid permit, management questions
Summary
At a city town hall, residents and commissioners debated charging user fees for boat ramps, options to fund and build wet slips at downtown marina, and whether private partners such as St. Joe or CMP should finance initial slips while management questions are resolved.
Panama City leaders and residents on Saturday discussed proposals to charge user fees at city boat ramps and to accelerate construction of wet slips at the downtown marina, while debating who should finance and operate new facilities. The conversation produced a staff request to research resident-pass options and a commitment to bring findings back at a virtual meeting by the end of summer.
The debate centered on two related aims: generate a stable revenue stream for boat-ramp maintenance and expand marina capacity quickly enough to meet demand from local and visiting boaters. Residents including Kenny Bostick argued for a user fee and resident sticker, saying, “We should charge $20 just like Saint Joe, Mexico Beach. If you’re not a Bay County resident, you would have to pay it.” He and others suggested fees be held in a restricted fund dedicated to boat-ramp improvements, dredging and maintenance.
City staff and commissioners described options for advancing the idea. Commissioner Jonathan (City Manager) indicated staff can research a…
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