Jamaican Lake residents press Bay County for drainage fixes, urge pause on west‑end development

Several residents of the Jamaican Lake neighborhood spoke during public comment at the Aug. 19 Bay County commission meeting, urging county leaders to address recurring flooding on the west end of the beach and to pause development approvals until drainage infrastructure is implemented and tested.

Brian Morris, a Jamaican Lake resident, told commissioners he had raised the issue repeatedly by email and in media interviews and said the neighborhood’s drainage system is overburdened. "We're concerned about the flooding issues," Morris said, describing a single 24‑inch pipe that carries stormwater west of Kelly Street into Jamaican Lake and saying residents have seen increased standing water after recent development.

Sheila Ryan, who also identified herself as a Jamaican Lake resident, said the west end is predominantly residential and that proposed hotel development would add impervious surfaces and worsen flooding. "If this hotel goes in ... five and a half acres of this land is going to be a parking lot," Ryan said, adding that residents have flood insurance but worry about the cumulative effect of new development.

Don Smith, another resident, asked the board to "authorize to put some sort of infrastructure in place to get rid of this storm water," describing the community as the drainage end cap for a one‑mile drainage area. Robert Staton, also a Jamaican Lake resident, said the community has spent more than $300,000 on drainage work and requested increased transparency around new development, infrastructure plans and enforcement.

Chairman Moore told residents county staff would speak with them after the meeting. Commissioners did not take formal action during the meeting on the requests; staff was asked to follow up.