Latest news with #HurricaneMichael
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Public invited to collect shells from Mexico Beach renourishment project
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Hurricane Michael destroyed miles of shoreline in Mexico Beach. City officials say there was less than 12 feet of beach left. The Bay County Tourist Development Council began a three-month beach renourishment project, extending the beach by about 145 feet. They completed the project on May 1. However, the dredging project brought up more than just sand. Panama City Police searching for missing 16-year-old 'They have these giant machines that the company brought in, and it just pumped up from the ocean, and it goes right into the conveyor belts, and they have a lot of like fingers that go through it with the machines, and it pulls out anything on a large scale. So that pulls a lot of the shells up,' Mexico Beach Public Works Director Mark Steele said. The city trucked the extra shells over to the Mexico Beach boat ramp and opened it up to the public to search for shells on Friday and Saturday, June 6-7. Shell collectors brought out their buckets and rakes in search of a unique shell. They could collect up to five gallons of shells a day. There are thousands of different types of shells that collectors could find. 'This is a Strombus Alatus. It's a sad one, but it is the Strombus Alatus. There's also the Left-Handed Lightning Whelk Sinistrofulgur Sinistrum. And then there's these pretty little olives that everybody's picking up because they're shiny. And this is Americoliva, subspecies Sarasototensis, which is the Gulf species,' Shell Researcher David Berschauer said. Many were searching for one of the rarest types of shells, only found in the deep ocean. 'We're looking for the Junonia. I think there's a lot of people that are looking for those. It's like the most elusive shell that people look for, and this is an example of one that's broken, but you can get the idea. It looks kind of like giraffe spots,' Shell Collector Bryan Cummings said. The leftover shells will be used in erosion projects throughout Mexico Beach. Overturned dump truck, possible fuel spill cause shut down on Rock Hill Road in DeFuniak Springs 'A lot of it will be used for public works to help people around the city with the parks. Some will be crushed down for parking lots. And they kind of supplement some of our stormwater systems with the drainage. So we do plan on using quite a bit for city use,' Steele said. Due to the success of the event, Mexico Beach plans to open up additional days for shell collection throughout the next few weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Departing Panama City Commission officials reflect on their time in office
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – As new elected officials prepare to be sworn in on Wednesday, two officials said farewell Tuesday evening. Panama City Mayor Michael Rohan and Commissioner Ward 1 Jenna Haligas gave their final remarks. Rohan will be replaced by Allan Branch after losing his bid for re-election. And Haligas did not seek reelection. Robbie Hughes will fill her seat. The departing officials shared different outlooks about their time on the city commission. Rohan is leaving office with unfulfilled goals and an ambiguous legacy, but also a clear conscious. During his final commission meeting Tuesday evening, Rohan addressed what he called a baseless ethics complaint and false accusations. The claims refer to a sexual harassment allegation from a female employee and a complaint alleging he attempted to move $8 million in state money from the Beach Drive Pathway to the MLK Rec Center. He also referred to his disapproval of one colleague when taking office in 2023. 'I believed that with hard work, honesty, and cooperation, we could move Panama City forward. But I quickly learned that integrity is not a shared value among everyone in leadership. From the start, one commissioner made it clear that despite my being elected mayor by the people, there are other commissioners who would oppose anything that was not to their liking. That should have been my first red flag,' Rohan said. Despite his disappointment at not achieving all of his goals as mayor, Rohan thinks highly of his efforts for his community. 'I gave everything I had to this role. My time, energy and efforts were a sacrifice made not for glory, but out of love for this community. And while I regret the obstacles I could not overcome, I remain proud of the fight I took for transparency, accountability and a better future,' Rohan added. Haligas reflected on her time on the city commission with a sentimental view. Haligas led the community through Hurricane Michael and the city's ongoing recovery and revitalization. 'It's just been a long eight years, but so beautiful. Like, with all the pain and the hardships and the growth, it's just turned out to be just something so beautiful. And I just feel so grateful that I was able to be a part of the process,' Haligas said. Although she's leaving the commission, she said she'll remain involved in her community. 'I'm very excited about the future of Panama City. I'm excited about where it's going to go from here. I mean, it's just going to get even better and even more beautiful than it already is. And that is something that I'm going to sit back and definitely relish in,' Hailgas said. Haligas said she'll remain involved in projects like the MLK Rec Center to see them reach completion. Haligas will be spending some of her time focusing on her non-profit as well. Rohan declined an interview, allowing his farewell remarks during the meeting to be his only comment. Branch and Hughes take the oath of office on Wednesday at noon in City Hall. Ward 4 Commissioner Josh Street will also be sworn in after he was re-elected in April. Branch will serve a two-year term. Street and Hughes get four-year terms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don't forget! 2025 municipal elections in Bay County are April 22
PANAMA CITY — Nina Ward, Bay County supervisor of elections, says residents should not miss their chance to cast ballots on Super Tuesday, which is April 22. Local voters are slated to take to the polls on April 22 for the 2025 municipal elections in Bay County. According to the Bay County Supervisor of Elections Office website, there are 135,678 registered votes in Bay County, but only 40,030 voters are eligible to cast ballots on Tuesday. This is because they live within the limits of municipalities with offices up for election. They are Panama City, Lynn Haven, Parker and Mexico Beach. "Typically, we see a much lower turnout in our city elections, but they are just as important, possible more important, than our national elections," Ward said. "These issues and the people we are voting for in these city elections are the closest to home, and they affect our daily lives. There's plenty to vote on." As of about 1 p.m. on April 18, 4,584 residents, or about 11% of the eligible voters, had cast ballots in the election. Of those, 1,384 voted by mail and 3,199 residents participated in early voting. Ward noted early voting in Bay County ends at 5 p.m. April 18, but residents have until 7 p.m. on Election Day to drop off mail-in ballots. Six voting sites will be open on Election Day. Unlike during early voting, those who wait until Tuesday to vote must do so at their designated voting sites. They are: Lynn Haven Senior Center − 905 Pennsylvania Ave. First Baptist Church of Mexico Beach − 823 15th St. Panama City City Hall (Ward 1) − 501 Harrison Ave. A.D. Harris Learning Village (Ward 2) − 819 E. 11th St. Mathison Retirement Community (Ward 3) − 3637 W. Highway 390 Frank Nelson Building (Ward 4) − 4201 W. 22nd St. Offices up for election in Panama City are mayor, Ward 1 commissioner and Ward 4 commissioner. Incumbent Michael Rohan and Allan Branch are running for mayor. Robbie Hughes, Daniel Schultz and Edward Young are running for Ward 1 commissioner. Incumbent Josh Street and Demetrius Rease are running for Ward 4 commissioner. Offices up for election in Lynn Haven are Seat 3 commissioner and Seat 4 commissioner. Incumbent Jamie Warrick and Johnnie Beshearse are running for Seat 3 commissioner. Judy Tinder, Jeff Snyder and Jamie Marler are running for Seat 4 commissioner. Offices up for election in Parker are mayor, Seat 1 council member and Seat 3 council member. All three Parker races have unopposed candidates. They are incumbent Andrew Kelly for mayor, incumbent Ron Chaple for Seat 1 council member and incumbent Katy Bodiford for Seat 3 council member. Appeal in progress: Bay County appealing FEMA request to pay back $20 million in Hurricane Michael grants Offices up for election in Mexico Beach are mayor, Group 2 council member and Group 3 council member. Two of the three Mexico Beach races have unopposed candidates. Incumbent Richard Wolff is running unopposed for mayor, Gary Cox and Erik Fosshage are running for Group 2 council member, and incumbent Linda Hamilton is running unopposed for Group 3 council member. "I think (voter) turnout is about average right now," Ward said. "I do hope that we see a push on election day. ... I cannot stress how important it is to show up for these local elections." For more information on the election, visit This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County to hold 2025 municipal elections on April 22
