Final Permit Approved for Airport Relocation
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has granted the final permit for the relocation of Bay County International
Airport to its new location in West Bay. With this final approval, the project enters the construction phase and is set for groundbreaking this fall.

The creation of the West Bay Preservation area was groundbreaking in itself. The St. Joe Company donated the land creating an easement of nearly 10,000 acres. This area will become at permanent part of the preservation zone when construction begins.

Unprecedented Environmental Protection

Many governmental and environmental agencies worked to create the final plan for relocation of the airport. The Airport Authority, Bay County officials, the St. Joe Company plus community members engaged in a process called "optional sector planning" to determine the best way to preserve the habitat and ecosystem in the area targeted for the airport relocation. A number of public meetings were held, data was gathered and analyzed and plans were created outlining what the area would look like in the future.

The result of the process called for the protection of an entire watershed area, an unprecedented environmental plan for protection of an ecosystem. Included in the 78,800 acres set aside for the relocation, is the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area, which makes up 41,000 of those acres. According to Airport Authority chief Eric Tannehill, the plan will protect West Bay, effectively preserving it for future generations.

In approving the Section 404 permit, the USACE agreed with Florida Department of Environmental protection findings that the move of the airport would positively benefit the ecosystem in the area. Among the benefits of the plan are the conservation and permanent protection of the West Bay region and the restoration of the uplands and wetlands to conditions that allow native species to live and thrive in the area.

State and Local Officials React

Upon announcing the final permit approval, the Airport Authority issued a news release, which included reactions from federal, state and local officials:

Governor Charlie Crist: "The project provides an important opportunity for the region to compete for better and more competitive air service, as well as to attract new businesses and jobs to grow and diversify the local economy."

"The Panama City-Bay County International Airport and Industrial District Project has the potential of becoming a strong economic development platform for Bay County and the Panhandle as long as it continues to be coupled with a real commitment to protecting the natural attributes that make the area so special."

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez: "With the issuance of the final permit needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the effort to relocate the Panama City - Bay County International Airport enters the construction phase, which is good news for everyone living in or traveling to Northwest Florida.

Former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham: "Opportunities like the West Bay Sector plan are rare in Florida - what makes this opportunity even more rare is the ability to protect a substantial portion of a nearly self-contained watershed, a watershed that is almost entirely owned by a single landowner. As Governor this was the type of planning that I had hoped that the Growth Management Act would inspire. Perhaps this will serve as an example to Florida's other large landowners - for Florida's sake I hope so."

State Senator Don Gaetz: "Today we are in an overpriced, underserved market for competitive air travel. Our region, with all its promise, is now reduced to a remote stop on a branch line. That isn't just an inconvenience - it holds down our economy and inhibits our quality of life.

"The new airport will open a skyway between Northwest Florida and the world. We will become a point of origin and a destination for international as well as regional flights. Certainly, our tourism and second home industry will benefit. Even more important, the nation-wide and international reach of the airport will help us compete for new businesses bringing higher paying jobs.

State Representative Jimmy Patronis: "This airport, combined with implementation of the West Bay Sector Plan, is vitally important to the future of Northwest Florida. First and foremost, it offers the opportunity to attract better, more competitive air service.

"Airport relocation also initiates the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area. This 41,000-acre conservation area will provide unprecedented environmental protection to the entire West Bay watershed. In the process, we will be creating and preserving one of the most beautiful outdoor recreation areas in the world. It is truly a unique opportunity.