3 days ago
City Manager Jonathan Hayes named Home Rule Hero
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City's City Manager, Jonathan Hayes, has received a statewide honor for his work in Tallahassee.
Florida's League of Cities has given him the Home Rule Hero Award.
The Home Rule Hero Award goes to someone who effectively advocates for their city on issues concerning residents.
Hayes lobbied lawmakers about three major bills. One involved the elimination of Community Redevelopment Agencies, or CRAs.
Another involved eliminating or reducing TDC bed tax revenues, and the third was the elimination of property taxes.
Hayes says he was concerned about the effects these bills could have on Panama City.
'There's always a question of, you know, what are the unintended consequences? So, you know, affecting the CRAs in a negative way, reducing the ability for us to market our state through our tourist development councils and some of those tourism efforts, and then elimination of property taxes, which really fund a lot of our operations here locally. Again, some of the basics of police, fire, and infrastructure,' Panama City City Manager Johnathan Hayes said.
Panama City commissioners instructed Hayes to write a letter to Senator Jay Trumbull and Representative Griff Griffitts, voicing their concerns.
All three of the bills are still undecided, as the legislature is technically still in session until lawmakers pass a state budget.
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