Panama Town Beach tourism development tax district could be expanded
PANAMA Metropolis BEACH — Breakfast Point East quickly may come to be part of the Panama Town Seaside Vacationer Progress Council’s taxing district.
For the duration of a TDC meeting final week, officials agreed to talk to the Bay County Commission to look at growing the TDC’s taxing district to involve land in the unincorporated portion of Bay County that surrounds the Panama City Seashore Sports Complicated.
That would let the group obtain a 5% mattress tax at the approaching Homewood Suites by Hilton, as perfectly as any foreseeable future housing complexes or motels formulated by the St. Joe Company in the area.
“The Panama City Beach Sports Park has been a catalyst for further enhancement on the east close of Panama City Seashore,” Phil Chester, a member of the TDC and Panama City Seaside Town Council, wrote in an electronic mail. “It is significant that the lodges and vacation rentals that will be made in Breakfast Position East are bundled in the vacationer progress taxing district to aid fund all of the TDC’s things to do.”
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Those activities include beach renourishment initiatives, aiding public safety and advertising Panama Metropolis Seashore to its thousands and thousands of annual holidaymakers, Chester additional.
In accordance to facts provided by the TDC, the group’s current taxing district contains all properties from the Phillips Inlet Bridge to the Hathaway Bridge that are south of Panama City Beach front Parkway (Back again Beach front Road). It also involves all houses within Panama City Beach front, Panama City and Mexico Seaside town boundaries.
Throughout Tuesday’s meeting, Doug Sale, the TDC’s lawyer, said St. Joe was the only land operator in the spot bordering the $40 million sporting activities complex. He included that the team also mentioned it will consent to the Bay County Fee adopting an ordinance to stretch the TDC’s taxing district.
“This enlargement area (would then) become a aspect of the (Bay) subcounty district, and more specifically, section of the Panama Town Beach front territory,” Sale said.
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Dan Rowe, president and CEO of Visit Panama City Seaside, added that St. Joe amended its learn system soon after the Panama City BeachSports Elaborate opened in 2019 to involve up to 750 nearby lodge rooms.
When the county expanded its taxing district in the previous, it demanded a referendum of the electors, Rowe reported. Because no one lives on the proposed parcel, the county would have to take an untraditional route, he additional.
“How long it will choose (St. Joe) to develop the 750 lodge rooms, no a person is aware of, but they have a drive to enhance the hospitality footprint in Breakfast Point East,” Rowe stated.