🌱 First-Ever 'State Of The City' + PCB Ranks Top 25 Beaches In US

Good morning, friends. It's Saturday in Panama City and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in the community today.

But first, your local weather:

• Saturday: Mostly sunny and nice. High: 77 Low: 55.
• Sunday: Sunny and beautiful. High: 77 Low: 59.

Business owners and marketers in Panama City: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top three stories in Panama City today:

1. The Mayor of Panama City Beach, Mark Sheldon, delivered the first "State of the City Address" and discussed the city's ongoing and future projects, including five priorities that officials adopted in their first strategic plan. These priorities include improving the city's financial health, boosting economic development, increasing transportation and mobility, providing a safe environment for residents and tourists, and enhancing the community's quality of life. The city received more than a dozen grants over 2021 and 2022 to help pay for various projects, allowing the city to do more with its general funding, which is mostly generated by a 1 percent business tax. (Subscription: The News Herald)
2. Panama City Beach was ranked at No. 18 on Trip Advisor’s 2023 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best list of Top 25 Beaches in the United States. The "Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best" award is only given to spots with the most favorable reviews and ranked among the top 1 percent of listings on Tripadvisor. Panama City Beach received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 and popular mentions of "white sand," "beautiful water," and "family vacation" on Tripadvisor. (Subscription: The News Herald)
3. Principals from Bay District Schools' (BDS) lowest-rated elementary schools, known as the Sensational Six, are struggling to attract and retain experienced teachers due to academic deficiencies caused by Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 pandemic. The principals spoke at a BDS board meeting, saying teachers with less than three years of experience face challenges in managing student behavior and understanding subject content, resulting in difficulties bridging the learning gap. Additionally, they said retaining experienced teachers is hard because they leave for higher-rated schools with similar pay but less challenging environments. (WJHG)

Today and tomorrow in Panama City:

Saturday, March 4

• Florida Luxe Arts Festival At Panama City Center For The Arts (10:00 AM)

Sunday, March 5

• DIY Time Crunch Mini Workshop At Board & Brush (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Keep an eye on these 18 Bay County eateries, which failed to meet inspection standards during February. (Subscription: The News Herald)
• The Panama City Police Department has added two electric motorcycles to its fleet, making it the first police department in the panhandle to use such bikes. The motorcycles, which cost a total of $50,000, were purchased using state forfeiture funds and will be used for traffic enforcement as they allow officers to be more stealthy on the roads. (WJHG)
• Florida educators are concerned and confused after a recent law, HB 1467, requires all Florida school districts to catalog every book on their shelves and put a formal process in place for reviewing complaints, sparking a wave of concern for teachers. (Subscription: The News Herald)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be in your inbox soon with another update!

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is an Editor for Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in journalism. She was previously a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.