Panama City Beach
City of Panama City Beach: who runs it, what it spends and owes, how its commission votes, and what the auditors found, all from public records.
Who's in charge
Council-city manager (home-rule city); mayor plus four ward council membersElected
- MayorStuart Tettemeruntil 2028
- Ward 1Paul Castountil 2026
- Ward 2Ethan Registeruntil 2028
- Ward 3Mary Coburnuntil 2026
- Ward 4 (Vice Mayor)Michael Jarmanuntil 2028
Appointed staff
- City ManagerDrew Whitman
- Assistant City ManagerHolly White
Top pay
- City Manager$150,000Drew Whitman 2021 (initial base salary in employment agreement, Res. 21-148)
Money in, money out
Adopted Aug 28, 2025 budget · general fund $71.9MWhere the money comes from
What the general fund pays for
Panama City Beach levies no city property tax. Its Front Beach Road CRA receives tax-increment payments, mainly from Bay County (about $22.2M a year, according to the county). The FY2026 budget lists a $22.2M reimbursement from the CRA trust fund. Source
The council approved the budget unanimously. News coverage cited a general budget of about $72 million, with law enforcement as the largest item at nearly $23 million. Source
City of Panama City Beach FY 2026 Annual Budget · Compare every government's budget · Budget explorer
Debt
FY2025 (year ended 2025-09-30)$87.6M owed — about $4,471 per resident. Governmental revenue bonds $56,915,000 + unamortized premium $5,474,131 (both Front Beach Road CRA bond issues, carried on the city's books) + utility revenue bonds $23,540,000 + developer revenue certificates $1,619,665 + lease $5,946. Excludes compensated absences ($2,788,350), pension and OPEB. All bonds are direct placements.
| Kind of debt | Owed |
|---|---|
| Revenue bonds | $80,455,000 |
| Bond premium | $5,474,131 |
| Revenue certificates to developers | $1,619,665 |
| Leases | $5,946 |
What the auditors found
FY2025: 0 findings · FY2024: 2 findings · FY2023: 0 findingsNo findings in the latest audit.
How they voted
94 money votes recorded · 14 split (15%)Most recent split votes
- Cut bulk waste pickup funding in half
Voted no: Michael Jarman
- Raised Front Beach Road CRA assessment by 2%
Voted no: Michael Jarman, Mary Coburn
- Moved city elections from April to November
Voted no: Stuart Tettemer, Mary Coburn
- Advanced moving city elections to November
Voted no: Stuart Tettemer, Mary Coburn
Contracts
44 major contracts since October 2022 · $86.3MLargest
- Florida Department of Transportation · $21.8M Utility work by highway contractor agreement for SR 30 widening, Richard Jackson Blvd to Hathaway Bridge (about $20M utilities relocation) (2025-10-23) Source
- Florida Department of Transportation · $12.4M Utility work agreement for SR 30 widening, Nautilus St to Richard Jackson Blvd (initial estimate of utility work cost) (2023-01-26) Source
- Core & Main, LP · $8.7M Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installation and implementation for water and reclaimed meters, five-year not-to-exceed (2025-04-24) Source
Projects, recovery and bills
Stay informed
Get updates
Email when Panama City Beach has new votes, contracts or corrections on this site.
Ask for a record
Something missing here? Request it from Panama City Beach under Florida's public records law.