Latest news with #DanielRaffield
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Bay County transforming Issac Byrd Park
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Issac Byrd Park was once a beloved community meeting point. And it will be again. 'Prior to Hurricane Michael, this was a beautiful park where we're currently standing was full of trees. There were pine trees here. There was a lot of shade here for children. There was what you see here behind us didn't exist after Hurricane Michael wiped all that. So really, this a huge improvement on where we are, and where we're going, and how we're going to get there,' Bay County Commissioner Daniel Raffield said. The park already has a new playground, but the makeover includes a lot more phases. Parks and recreation officials gathered community input to create a master plan. 'They have a beautiful community out here. They kind of wanted to see swings, more trees planted. They wanted additional playground equipment, obviously shade structures, that's a big deal out here,' Bay County Parks and Recreation Manager Vincent Martin said. Magnolia and oak trees will once again provide plenty of shade. Work on a new $56,000 picnic pavilion is now in progress. Mexico Beach debates regulation of food trucks amidst growth 'They are currently building out this 25×30 pavilion. The time on this job will be 60 days until it's complete. So that's what we're looking at for the time of completion, on the pavilion here,' Raffield said. Commissioner Raffield says the upgrades will take place gradually, allowing families to enjoy the park while work progresses. The plans will also take advantage of the waterfront locations. It's called Bay County for a reason. Officials say making this area's finest amenity more accessible for residents is going to be a priority in this project. 'We have a dock that will be here, FYI, 2026 for canoes. So if you have a family, come out and go canoeing and have somewhere to tie your boat, and go fishing, you can do all that here at Issac Byrd Park in Lynn Haven,' Raffield added. The county has around $77,000 budgeted for additional playground equipment to be installed sometime in June. The conceptual plans also include a walking path with fitness equipment, added parking, a multi-purpose court, and much more. The money for the Issac Byrd project is coming out of the county's general fund. Parks and recreation officials are also planning improvements at Zollie Young Park, just south of Highway 390 in Lynn Haven. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Florida's 2025 Gulf red snapper season to be longest ever
FLORIDA (WMBB) – The 2025 Gulf red snapper recreational season is set to be the longest in Florida's history. Governor Ron DeSantis made the record-breaking announcement Monday morning in Destin. Tourists and locals can enjoy the 126-day fishing season, which includes holidays like Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Florida's previous record was 103 days. Bay County officials believe the announcement will help welcome more families and put the spring break crowds in the past. 'The economic side is more people coming and staying in hotels, visiting our beaches, eating in our restaurants, and riding the roads. This is what we want to see in Bay County as the families come to Bay County, have a great time, and spend money,' Bay County District 1 Commissioner Daniel Raffield said. 'These families coming to Bay County will enable us to have a safer crowd that we can manage. They'll come to respect our area, spend money in our area, and we can harness what they have for generations to come.' Red snapper limits will remain in effect, at least 16 inches long and two per person per day. The summer season will begin Memorial Day Weekend, from May 24 to May 26, and reopen June 1 through July 31. The fall season will include the following dates: September 1 –14 September 19 – 21 September 26 – 28 October 3 –5 October 10 – 12 October 17 – 19 October 24 – 26 October 31 – November 2 November 7 – 9, 11 (Veterans Day) November 14 –16, November 21 – 23 November 27 – 30 (Thanksgiving weekend) December 5 – 7 December 12 –14 December 19 – 21 December 25 – 28 (Christmas weekend) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bay County commissioners move forward with major expansion at the North Bay Wastewater Treatment Facility
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Bay County commissioners awarded A.C. Schultes of Florida a $16 million contract Tuesday to install 2 underground wells at the North Bay Wastewater Treatment Facility. Each well will be approximately 2,000 feet deep and hold up to around 1-and-a-half million gallons of water. Commissioners say the wells will help keep up with the county's growth. 7 Panama City candidates discuss West Beach Drive referendum 'What's great about it is, is for growth and development for the county where, you know, we're growing so fast, we want to be able to have this in place so we can get this handled,' Commissioner Daniel Raffield said. A new state mandate will require wastewater treatment plants to take the treated effluent out of the base system by 2030. The county is getting ahead of the game by installing the two new wells. 'First of all, it's mandated. We got to do something with this treated water. And if we can't land apply, we do have rainy seasons. And when it's wet, we've got to do something with it. We can't just turn the wastewater treatment plant, ask our residents, turn the toilets off. We have to have a method of disposing of this treated effluent. So therefore, the injection wells give us that added capacity and allows us to keep operating and no disruption of service in,' Commissioner Robert Carroll said. Panama City Beach sets special event zones for spring break weekend The project will take 600 days to complete. Carroll says the process is quite simple. 'They're going to go down below the aquifer and so during heavy rains or any time that we can't do land application on that reuse water, we're able to put it in the injection wells. It's a very safe method that's done on all over the state. It's approved by DEP,' Carroll added. The funds are coming through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Supplemental Disaster Relief Act. Contractors will have to complete the project by December 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
