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Commission adopts special-events ordinance, delays handbook adoption and forms review committee
Summary
Panama City approved Ordinance 33-10 to update special-events permitting and fees (payments due 30 days prior; holidays allowed) but delayed adopting the revised handbook and formed a 60- to 90-day advisory review committee to refine remaining handbook language.
The commission on July 28 adopted Ordinance 33-10 revising the city's special-events permitting code to require payment of applicable fees at least 30 days in advance and to allow special events on holidays at the city's discretion. Commissioners and members of the public expressed concern that staff's handbook revisions included substantive changes beyond prior direction; as a result the commission adopted only the ordinance and deferred adopting the handbook/resolution to allow further citizen input via a short advisory review process.
One commissioner told staff, "I have some concerns... I feel like we've given a pretty clear directive to go back and make some modifications. And what we got back, there's some major changes that we never talked about." Parks director Keith Myrell provided fee comparatives: "The fees in the existing handbook are the $58 range. The fees in the proposed handbook that you have before you are $75." Commissioners approved the ordinance but kept the handbook under review; they motioned to convene a short-term advisory group of practitioners and event promoters to meet 60–90 days and report back with recommended handbook edits.
The split action means holiday permissions and the 30-day payment rule are now adopted in municipal code; the specific handbook procedures and fee schedule language will return to the commission after citizen review.
