Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Panama City Airport
Panama City Airport officials broke ground recently at the new location of the Panama City-Bay County Airport. About 1000 people gathered to watch the ceremonies including a number of government officials, Airport Authority members, and representatives from the St Joe Company and the Audubon of Florida. State Representatives Mari Coley (R-Marianna) and Jimmy Patronis (R-Panama City) served as co-masters of ceremonies for the event. Governor Charlie Crist was scheduled to be at the ceremony, but was unable to attend at the last minute. He sent an audio taped a message, which was played during the event.

The ceremony marked the end of a 10-year process of design and planning. It also put in motion the West Bay Sector Plan, which is a plan for development of the 34,000 acres that run along the new airport site. Area leaders are hopeful this new development will help the real estate market in the area bounce back after two years of a downward trend.

An Economic Rebound
Airport Authority chairman Joe Tannehill expressed some emotion as he as talked about the start of the $330 million project. The airport will be the first to be constructed since 9-11 and may just become a model for how airports will be built in the future, balancing economic development with the need to preserve natural habitats. In his taped message, Governor Crist described the airport as “America’s first truly green airport.”

Balancing Development with Preservation
As a part of the relocation plan, more than 40,000 acres of St. Joe land in the West Bay sector will be protected and preserved. This will create a major conservation sector in West Florida and provide the area an opportunity to participate in the growing ecotourism trend. At the ceremony, Audubon Director Eric Draper said, “There is a great story being written today, a story of balance” between the environment and economic development.”

In an agreement made earlier this year between the Audubon of Florida and the St. Joe Company, the Audubon of Florida will oversee a new Audubon Center of West Bay and will manage the conservation area. The St. Joe Company will develop another 34,000 acres around the airport into commercial, office and light industrial space. New recreational facilities and more than 5000 new homes are also planned for the area.

Work on the site will begin immediately and will take about 30 months to complete the airport’s first phase. The airport is set to open in early 2010.

New Airport, New Name?
Recently, local businessman Charles Hilton called for the renaming
of the airport to reflect the areas beyond Bay County that the airport will serve, including Washington, Holmes, Jackson and Walton counties. This may be somewhat difficult to do, since changing the name may mean changing the 3-letter code (currently PFN) used to identify the airport in national and international aviation databases. But an FAA spokesperson said that the 3-letter code does not necessarily have to be changed to reflect the new name. He notes the change of Newark’s airport to Newark Liberty International Airport after 9-11. The name of the airport was changed but the 3-letter code remained the same. The Airport Authority has yet to take Hilton’s suggestion under consideration.

Sources:
Regional name for airport sought, November 4, 2007, The News Herald, FL - Nov 3, 2007
Airport groundbreaking marks development boon, The News Herald, FL - Nov 1, 2007

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.

Panama City Airport Update

Construction Management Firm Selected

The FAA recently committed at least $72 million dollars for the relocation of the Panama City - Bay County International Airport to its planned West Bay location. The funds will be dispersed over four years, which is a shorter time period than previously expected. According to the Airport Authority, the quicker disbursement schedule will result in lower financing costs and will ultimately result in a lower total cost to relocate the airport.

Also the FAA has approved use of the airport's entitlement funding of about $7.2 million per year for the project. These funds, combined with the recent commitment of $67 million from the Florida Dept. of Transportation and the expected $61 million that the Airport Authority says it will raise from the sale of the land where the current airport sits, will cover the relocation costs, according to the board. The board says that no local tax dollars will be used for this project.

Management Firm Selected - Hiring of Construction Firm delayed

The Airport Authority has also selected the construction firm Kellogg Brown and Root Infrastructure Inc. (KBR) to manage the construction of the new airport. KBR will oversee budgeting, scheduling and other administrative tasks. The company will not be responsible for the actual hiring of construction firms. The airport board will make that selection.

Recently, the board announced that the bidding process, and final selection of a construction firm from six potential companies, has been delayed. The delay comes after the companies had numerous questions about the project and required answers to the questions before submitting their bids. For each question received from a company, the board is required to distribute a copy of the question with an answer to all companies bidding for the project. The bids should be submitted by the end of this month. It is unclear whether or not the bidding process will be delayed again.

Got a Permit for that?

But no construction will take place without the final environmental permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These are expected to arrive sometime in the next few weeks. Officials say the new airport is still planned to open at the end of 2009.