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PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City residents are still fighting against the possible construction of the West Beach Drive pathway. The city received $8 million from a state grant for the multi-use path, but residents don’t want the city to use the money.
Ever since the idea of a new pathway on West Beach Drive was presented it has received conflicting opinions from residents. But Beach Drive homeowners and other residents are trying to stop the project. Saturday morning they gathered on West Beach Drive to express their opposition of the pathway.
“This beautiful shoreline that has remained untouched for years and years and years, and so that’s the purpose of our group gathering today. We just have some folks who would like to talk about that a little bit more,” Preserve Beach Drive Chairman and resident Jo Shaffer said. Members of the group said one of their concerns with the pathway is the effects it may have on the environment.
“There are 280 trees from Frankfort Avenue over to Johnson’s Bayou. They are all at risk,” resident Hank Picken said.
Resident Hank Picken said that the placement of this 1.5-mile path will not only take down several trees but jeopardize the wildlife in the area. “There’s a tremendous risk to shorebirds as they are nesting birds,” Picken said.
Other residents are saying that there should be more data considered before commissioners begin construction. Resident Bonnie Hayes said there should have been more planning done on how this will affect traffic and parking if the pathway were to be placed on West Beach Drive.
“Let’s bring it up for a vote again. Let’s get these studies. And I and I went ahead and wrote it up. If you want to take a picture, what you can do with the call to action today? Write all the commissioners and you ask for that third-party engineering report. You ask for that long-term environmental study and you ask where the traffic study is,” resident Bonnie Hayes said.
While many city officials have shown their support for the project, Panama City Mayor Michael Rohan has been outspoken on his stance against it and attended Saturday’s rally to support preserving West Beach Drive. “So many things are unanswered. We’re rushing in to do something and we need to take our time. We need to step back. We need to get everybody’s opinion. We need to try to do something that would that would be good for the city and good for everybody,” Panama City Mayor Michael Rohan said.
Rohan agrees with many of the residents and says that studies should be done before the city takes any action. He says the grant money can be put on pause and it would not affect the $8 million appropriation.
Preserve Beach Drive Chairman and resident, Jo Shaffer said over 2,000 people have signed her petition to stop the pathway. The West Beach Drive multi-use pathway will be under discussion at the Tuesday, March 26th Panama City commission meeting.
MARCH 25, 2024 UPDATE
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Published: Mar. 23, 2024 at 8:35 PM CDT
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A group of concerned area residents are speaking out against the possible construction of a multi-use path along the shoreline of West Beach.
The 12-foot-wide concrete path on the south side of W. Beach Drive is set to include bicycle racks, benches, water fountains, lighting, and garbage receptacles.
Members of Beach Drive Preservation Inc. shared concerns on construction cost, traffic, parking, and environmental impacts at a rally against the project Saturday morning.
Panama City Mayor Michael Rohan was in attendance at the rally and also spoke against the path.
“These are real people. They live in Panama City. They like Panama City. They love Panama City. They want to preserve Panama City, and nothing is being done to help them,” Rohan said. “Personally, I find the beach drive here as you look over the water is a very iconic part of Panama City. It is part of the old Florida here, and we are going to destroy the old Florida so we can put up a 12-foot-wide concrete path.”
Panama City leaders will be voting on the future of the project Tuesday. Before that big vote, members of Beach Drive Preservation Inc. say they hope to inform more people of what they said would be an upset to the historic shoreline drive and look to use city funds elsewhere.
“So many things are unanswered,” Rohan said. “We are rushing in to do something. We need to take our time. We need to step back. We need to get everybody’s opinions. We need to try to do something that would be good for the city and good for everybody.”
However, in an effort to make Panama City more walk-able, the state approved grant must only fund multi-use pathways throughout the city.
More than two thousand signatures have been collected in favor of not having the path.
Area residents can attend the Panama City Commission meeting Tuesday, March 26 starting at 8 a.m. to express their opinions on the vote.
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MARCH 26,2024 UPDATE
