Panama City airport to begin construction soon
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- The Panama City-Bay County International Airport received its final permit for relocation to West Bay and will begin construction soon, airport officials said Thursday.
"The receipt of this permit marks yet another major milestone in the decade long effort to bring better air service to Bay County and all of Northwest Florida," airport authority chairman Joe Tannehill said in a statement.
The $331 million relocation project will be funded by state grants, federal grants and the sale of the current airport property. The move to the 4,000-acre West Bay site is expected to be finished by 2009.
Gov. Charlie Crist said it has the potential to become a strong economic development platform for Bay County and the Panhandle.
"The project provides an important opportunity for the region to compete for better and more competitive air service, as well as to attract new businesses and jobs to grow and diversify the local economy," Crist said.