Panama City leaders seek standard process for selling city-owned lots, prioritize affordability and transparency

Panama City commissioners and staff on Tuesday debated a standardized process for disposing of city-owned land, aiming to give residents a fair chance to buy property while protecting neighborhood development goals and housing program funds.

The commission convened a virtual workshop to sort when to use sealed RFPs and when unsolicited offers should trigger a public process. “I think we all collectively agree, that the city owns too many parcels in general across the whole city, and we need to have a systematic way to address those and what's the best way to dispose of them,” the meeting moderator said, opening the discussion.

Commissioner Robbie Hughes urged a uniform rule that treats unsolicited offers similarly to RFPs so “everybody ought to have an opportunity to buy it,” proposing that staff keep initial offers confidential, advertise an opportunity for public bids, and set clear limits on allowable…