Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Panama City public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
7 issues in zoning with high priority
Gateway Overlay prohibited uses and special exceptions
Should the overlay restricting certain businesses shrink from 400 to 200 feet along major roads? Commissioner Hughes argued the 400-foot rule strangles business a block off the corridors; the board ultimately recommended keeping Harrison Avenue at 400 feet, 3-2.
Road vacations: Fairy Avenue and Grace Avenue
Changing a small parcel from mixed use to General Commercial means no homes can ever be built there, and residents fear gas stations, car washes, and truck traffic next to duplexes and family yards. Staff noted commercial zoning actually imposes larger setbacks and buffers than the current mixed-use district. The City Commission makes the final call in June.
One-year moratorium on large-scale data centers
Large-scale data centers are now on a one-year pause while the city rewrites its rules. A veteran who spoke urged denial, warning it deters investment; the Commission passed it unanimously anyway.
Land Disposition Policy and Potential Land Bank
The city owns hundreds of vacant lots bought for housing, some held since the 1990s. Commissioners sparred over whether to adopt a formal disposition policy, sell lots at market value, or reserve them for affordable housing — and agreed to send staff a sale item for the 2215 E. 3rd Street lot at the next meeting.
Heavy Industrial rezoning of SA Recycling scrap yard at 1023 E 15th Street
Neighbors, including a 40-year property family, worry rezoning 1023 E 15th Street to Heavy Industrial opens the door to chemical plants and heavy trucks on streets where kids wait for school buses. Commissioners are exploring whether a Gateway Overlay exception could preserve control over the use.
Charter revisions headed to the November ballot
The first full charter update since 1963 — including four-year mayoral terms and moving city elections to November — will go to voters. Commissioners are still deciding whether to put it on the ballot as one question or three.
Revised City Charter and November ballot referendum
The first substantive charter review since 1963 could go to voters this November. Approved language must reach the Supervisor of Elections by noon August 24, 2026, and fit within a 75-word ballot question — likely one combined yes-or-no vote on the whole package.