Panama City Beach Extends Beach Closure
Panama City Beach, Florida – The Panama City Beach City Council voted Thursday morning during the councils first ever virtual city meeting with the public to extend the closure of the sandy beach until 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 9th, 2020 when the council reconvenes.
Last week the Council met in emergency session and closed the beach until noon today, Thursday, March 26. During their regular meeting this morning, conducted virtually due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the Council extended the closure of the beach through noon on Friday, April 10. The Council meets again on Thursday, April 9 and is expected to revisit the issue then.
This only includes the beach located inside the City limits of Panama City Beach.
According to a press release from Bay County, the Board of County Commissioners extended the closure of pubic beaches in the unincorporated area of Bay County for another seven days. County Commission Chairman Philip “Griff” Griffitts has the authority to continue the closure as long as it is deemed necessary.
In a related matter, the Council approved the limited operation of food trucks within the City during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. Officials stated that giving the food trucks of brick and mortar restaurants the ability to go into the community between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., can allow for more social distancing. It is also seen as another delivery option since Gov. Ron DeSantis’s March 20 order which suspended all on-premises food consumption in restaurants in the state.
The following rules apply on the food trucks:
- Must operate for take-out only;
- Must display a copy of City business tax receipt;
- Must have a valid Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle License;
- Must have written permission from the property owner if on private property;
For more information, click here for the ordinance. 20200326 Food Truck Order v2
