Panama City opens overhaul of stormwater and erosion rules, signals interest in green infrastructure

City staff presented first reading of Ordinance 32‑88, which would amend the Unified Land Development Code’s stormwater and erosion control requirements and infrastructure design standards. The changes update standards the staff said were last meaningfully revised in 2019 and aim to strengthen design expectations to protect neighborhoods and infrastructure from increasingly intense rainfall events.

City Engineer Stacy Roush told the commission the revision applies citywide and “our code requires that all development has to account for their water. They cannot push water off of their property that was not going off of their property before.” Roush said staff will promote green infrastructure such as bioswales, rain gardens and tree planters alongside ponds, noting that in some locations ponds remain the practical or necessary solution depending on soils and site constraints.

Public commenters and some commissioners raised concerns that prior regulatory changes and large coastal projects have altered drainage patterns and raised groundwater tables in older inland neighborhoods. Several residents urged the city to address drainage in pre‑existing neighborhoods where old retention or wetlands were altered before seeking new standards for new development.

Commissioners asked staff to prepare an outreach workshop on alternative stormwater approaches and fee structures for developers and to return with more refined code language tying geotechnical reports to current conditions. The item advanced as a first reading; staff said a workshop on green infrastructure options will precede later code amendments.

What’s next: Staff will schedule targeted workshops to discuss green infrastructure alternatives and return to the commission with revised code language that clarifies submittal standards, geotechnical timing and circumstances when alternative stormwater solutions are acceptable.