'Money well spent': Panama City Beach to spend $150K to begin Lullwater Lake cleanup

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Local officials say it's important for the city to begin cleaning Lullwater Lake sooner, rather than later.

City Council members last week voted for Panama City Beach to spend about $150,000 to kickstart a project to clean the lake, which is north of Front Beach Road near the Sterling Breeze Resort.

The money will help the city get the project going as it waits for a $6 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which PCB was awarded about a month ago to fund the cleanup. Officials said the state funding "is in limbo."

"Fixing this lake and cleaning this lake up is important to all of us," Mayor Mark Sheldon said. "For me, this $150,000 is money well spent because it keeps the project moving forward, while we continue to (fight) to make sure that we do get the full $6 million that we need."

PCB awarded funding: 'Improve water clarity and quality': PCB gets $6 million DEP grant to clean Lullwater Lake

Other projects in the area: Panama City Beach offshore outfall will be first of its kind. Where the project stands.

The project will treat and remove overgrown aquatic plants and some accumulated sediment at Lullwater Lake, officials have said.

Sheldon noted the $150,000 would pay for a variety of things to help get everything "shovel ready" for when the city does receive the state funding. This includes surveys of existing vegetation, evaluations of potential improvements and cost estimates.

"I don't want this project to stop," he said. "I want this project to move forward."

The Lullwater Lake cleanup was sparked in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally, a Category 2 storm that hit the Panhandle in September 2020 and caused widespread flooding for residents who live along the lake's coast.

Since then, the lake's deteriorating condition and the risk of future flooding has been a common topic of conversation at many City Council meetings.

Along with improving the lake's water quality and reducing these risks, the project will help prevent clogging of the future offshore stormwater outfall the city plans to build in the area.

In 2021, the Beach received a $21 million grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to fund the project, which might break ground next year.

Working plans call for the structure to combine current outfalls near the lake and the Calypso Resort and Tower, channel the stormwater underground and deposit it about 1,500 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.

"I think this is a great idea to keep moving (the Lullwater Lake cleanup project) forward," City Council member Mary Coburn said of the city's $150,000 contribution. "We need to make progress and get (the cleanup) done."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach to spend $150,000 to start cleanup of Lullwater Lake