Panama City In The News

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Shells by the dozen are being dumped across Panama City Beaches. This is because of the beach renourishment project that started back in September. Officials with Visit Panama City Beach say that sand is dredged from the gulf and then dumped onto the beach. Over the weekend, Facebook posts by shell hunters caught the attention of many. People traveled from all over to pick from the giant pile of seashells on the beach.

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – “Elevate Bay” hasn’t been offered for long but the program is making a lasting impact by helping to get students on the right track. “We provide support and encouragement to a lot of our at-risk students,” Elevate Bay Coordinator Stacey Legg said. “Those who are struggling with challenges at home that then become challenges in the community. We’re working to help them overcome these obstacles and be more successful in the future.” Elevate Bay has roughly 265 mentors. Its goal is to reach 1000 because the demand for mentors is growing.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Valentine’s Day is coming up, and the Humane Society of Bay County celebrated the holiday once again. The organization hosted its annual True Love Valentine’s Day photo shoot fundraiser with photographer Leslie Jones on Sunday. Couples, children and furry friends came out to the thrift shop to have their holiday-themed pictures taken.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The Junior League of Panama City will host it’s 5K race and fun run on Saturday, February 12. The race will start at the Bay County Courthouse and follow a scenic path throughout the beautiful cove neighborhood. After the race there will be an after party at History Class Brewing Company. History class has donated a free beer token with every race registration.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – They say boxing is a bit like dancing, and if you listen closely enough in Downtown Panama City, you can hear the music. In the afternoons, you can find Felix Malespin coaching boxing classes at the Downtown Boxing Club in Panama City. “I will teach you how to fight, how to move, everything,” said Malespin. Felix teaches kids and adults the art of boxing, everything from jabs to punching bags.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB)– In celebration of Black History Month, artwork by black artists will be on display at the Panama City Center for the arts. The works are a part of the center’s permanent collection and will be on display in the main hallway along with history of the artist and the piece. One of the prominent artists featured is Dean Mitchell who uses watercolor to depict what it is like to be African American in the South. Mitchell was born in Pennsylvania, but he was raised in Quincy, Florida.

PANAMA CITY — Zenvoia Goss wants to form a Black student union organization to spread more diverse organizations at FSU Panama City. In the meantime, the junior is excited her campus will offer the community a chance to learn more about Black history through art this week as part of Black History Month.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Homelessness is something that has always concerned Girl Scout Ambassador, Caitlin Holmes. “I’ve volunteered at a lot of homeless shelters and worked with the homeless community for a while, so I knew I wanted my big project to be targeted towards feeding the homeless,” said Caitlin Holmes.

PANAMA CITY — A recent travel agency report ranks the Panama City area as one of five top destinations for U.S. travelers in 2022.  The Panama City area ranked No. 4 in the Expedia 2022 Travel Trends Report. It is important to note, large travel agencies often include Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven, and other neighboring cities as part of the greater Panama City area.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Downtown Panama City holds more than 100 years’ worth of memories. “I remember coming down here for shows at the theater and meeting all the artsy kids at the java. With those things no longer here it’s nice to see people still trying to create those communities,” Sierra Latham, owner of the Prominent Goat said.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Panama City Racquet Club is hosting the first ever Royal American Winter Challenge this weekend. The tournament features a wide range of players, male and female from teenagers to adults. Local players from the club were out on the courts too, some from Bay High School. Panama City Racquet Club owner Thomas Dobbins said events like this aren’t just for the pros, but for beginners as well because of each players “Universal Tennis Rating.”

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – If you’re a coffee connoisseur or just like to taste new flavors there’s a new place in the Cove area of Panama City that would love for you to step inside. Espresso bar Caffe Del Mundo opened its doors in November and the owners say they already have a following. “Caffe Del Mundo means coffee of the world which we want to be known for,” said co-owner of Caffe Del Mundo Marta Rose-Thorpe. Jimy and Marta Thorpe are coffee lovers so it just stands to reason they would open a coffee bar. “It’s a full espresso bar with any of the creative drinks somebody could want,” said Marta.

PANAMA CITY — Residents should see updates coming soon for a local park in Panama City. The Panama City Commission approved the architecture and engineering services for Oakland Terrace Park during its Tuesday meeting.   In early September of last year, city officials approved the park’s concept master plans from Barge Design Solutions Inc. Barge aims to provide the engineering, landscape architectural designs, geotechnical engineering and land surveying services to the master design.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Academy Sports + Outdoors announced a new location will be opening up in Panama City this year. Panama City officials confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the company is moving into the old Hobby Lobby building on 23rd Street. The company said this will be the 10th location in the state of Florida and will create around 60 jobs for residents.

PANAMA CITY — A local cookie maker is calling all cookie lovers to help break a world record in Panama City Beach next month.  Fat and Weird Cookie Co. is kicking off its first-ever Cookie Fest and asking for the community’s help to attempt to break a Guinness World Record of the most people dunking cookies at one time. The current record stands at 3,236 people broken by a Girl Scout Troop in Indiana.