City official says Panama City revised ordinance and is pursuing a quiet zone to curb drainage, noise problems

Panama City — A city official said the city has updated a stormwater maintenance ordinance that would require railroad operators to maintain drainage ditches and rights-of-way along railroad corridors, and that the city is pursuing a Federal Railroad Administration review to establish its first railroad quiet zone.

The move responds to recurring drainage and overgrowth problems along rail rights-of-way that, the official said, have contributed to flooding, trash buildup and other nuisance conditions. "For years, the city has dealt with concerns over overgrowth on the railroad right of ways, and it contributed to flooding, drainage problems, trash buildup, and other nuisance conditions," the official said.

The official framed the ordinance as a way to protect nearby neighborhoods and ensure stormwater systems function properly, noting the city has often performed maintenance outside active rail lines at taxpayer expense. The revised rule "requiring railroad operations to maintain drainage ditches and rights away all along the corridor," the official said, would shift routine vegetation and ditch upkeep onto the rail operators. The speaker also said the city is seeking authority to recover maintenance costs where emergency intervention is needed.

Separately, the official said the city is working through the federal review process to establish a quiet zone, a designation intended to reduce train horn noise in residential areas while preserving federal safety standards. "In working through this process, we've also been notified by the Federal Railroad Administration of some identified needed improvements, such as crossings, updated signage, pavement markings," the official said. The official added, "All of those things are going to be taking place before the quiet zone can move forward."

City officials described the two efforts as complementary: the ordinance addresses drainage and maintenance liabilities along rail corridors, while the quiet zone requires federally approved safety upgrades before it can reduce horn noise. The official summed up the objectives as improving neighborhood safety and cleanliness: "All of these efforts are all about making our neighborhood safer, cleaner, and more comfortable for all of us to call Panama City home as a resident and a business owner alike."

The transcript did not specify whether the ordinance has been adopted by vote or what timetable applies to the FRA review and the required infrastructure improvements. The next procedural steps — including any formal adoption vote on the ordinance or a schedule for the FRA-required upgrades — were not specified in the remarks.