The Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency on Dec. 2 approved a staff recommendation to contract with the Incremental Development Alliance (IncDev) for a virtual small-development boot camp, an added pitch session and at least six monthly meetup cohorts at a combined cost of $59,300.

Staff told the board the CRA previously partnered with IncDev on two introductory programs — an “Introduction to IncDev” on Sept. 4 that drew more than 90 attendees and a small-scale development workshop on Nov. 14 that drew nearly 50 participants — and that participants “unanimously expressed strong interest in continuing the program through IncDev’s small development boot camp.” Staff recommended the virtual boot camp with the pitch add-on and monthly cohorts, noting the program is designed to build local capacity for small-scale, community-driven development. “Staff recommends approval for the virtual small development boot camp, plus the pitch session add on and a minimum of 6 monthly meet up cohorts in the amount of $59,300.00,” the staff presentation said.

Several board members raised concerns about local relevance and access. One board member cautioned that prewritten sessions designed for other cities might not meet Panama City’s needs and asked how the program would let new participants catch up. “What I worry is that they’re going to be given, pre written, sessions that work well for other cities, but not necessarily us,” the member said, asking whether recorded or catch‑up options could be provided. Staff replied that the boot camps are structured as project-based coursework with homework and that the monthly meetups can be tailored based on local participant needs; staff said they could request topics from IncDev and bring subject-matter experts to monthly sessions.

Another board member noted turnout projections based on earlier workshops and framed the expenditure as an investment in catalyzing local projects. The motion to approve the staff recommendation passed by roll call 5–0 (Board members Granger, Street, Hughes, Lucas and Chairman Branch voting “Yes”).

The board’s approval authorizes staff to execute the contract and begin the boot-camp and monthly-cohort program, with staff noting options for virtual, in-person or hybrid delivery and a pitch-session add-on intended to help participants present development concepts to potential partners.