Panama City bans alcohol sales between 2 and 7 a.m. during last half of March

Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY − Local officials are working to reduce late-night crime during spring break.

Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved the final reading of an ordinance to prohibit the sale of alcohol within the city limits between 2 and 7 a.m. from March 15 to 31. The ordinance, which reduces the sale of alcohol by two hours, was created to help control the large influx of tourists who flock to the area for spring break.

It also was designed to aligned the hours of Panama City businesses with those in Panama City Beach and unincorporated Bay County.

To help reduce spring break related crime, Panama City commissioners approved an ordinance to prohibit the sale of alcohol within the city limits between 2-7 a.m. from March 15-31.
To help reduce spring break related crime, Panama City commissioners approved an ordinance to prohibit the sale of alcohol within the city limits between 2-7 a.m. from March 15-31.

"We've gone through a couple years of a really good partnership between bars and police, but we still have some transitional time that's happening during spring break," Commissioner Josh Street said. "As the Beach closes, people come over the bridge, and they kind of continue to party on town side. That leads to a lot of increases in crime."

Past reports note law enforcement officials with the Panama City Beach Police Department and Bay County Sheriff's Office expect large crowds this spring break season.

Alcohol also is not allowed on sandy beaches in Bay County during the entire month.

"The community has spoken pretty clearly," Street said. "We don't mind having tourists who come to our area, but we're not looking to be a party town. We're not trying to be the next Miami. ... This is about trying to manage that influx of people who come into town to ensure we're doing a good job to keep our citizens safe."

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He also said the ordinance approved by the commission on Tuesday might be tweaked in the future depending on how it impacts the city.

"There may be future revisions, and there may be changes that come," Street said. "As far as this year, I think we've got a good strategy to help manage and really support our police officers in their endeavor to make our city a safer city."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City limits overnight alcohol sales during last half of March