Panama City Beach to apply for $3 million grant to help fund offshore stormwater outfall

Nathan Cobb, The News Herald
·2 min read
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PANAMA CITY BEACH − Officials continue moving forward on a massive and controversial project to streamline stormwater drainage for a portion of the Beach.

The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday voted unanimously for the city to apply for a $3 million grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to help fund construction of an offshore stormwater outfall near Lullwater Lake.

While Councilmember Mary Coburn voted to apply, she said she still opposes the project. However, as the only member of the council with that opinion, she said she realizes it's likely the project will happen, and she thinks the city should try to secure as much outside funding as possible.

The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday unanimously approved for the city to apply for a $3 million grant to help fund the construction of an offshore stormwater outfall near Lullwater Lake.
The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday unanimously approved for the city to apply for a $3 million grant to help fund the construction of an offshore stormwater outfall near Lullwater Lake.

"I'm still not in favor of it, but if they push this through and they get the approval, then guess who's going to get saddled with the burden? Residents," Coburn said. "So the more money that doesn't come out of our pocket, the better, but I am not in favor of this, and I think it is a bad idea."

More on the outfall:Panama City Beach offshore outfall will be first of its kind. Where the project stands.

Past flooding: Panama City Beach homeowners voice frustration after flood damages from Hurricane Sally

Construction of the outfall now is anticipated to cost more than $41. 375 million. It would combine current outfalls near Lullwater Lake and Calypso Resort and Tower, channel stormwater underground and deposit it about 1,500 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.

If Panama City Beach is awarded the $3 million grant, it will add to $21 million the city received for the project in 2021 through the DEO's Rebuild Florida General Infrastructure Repair Program. The program is for communities impacted by Category 5 Hurricane Michael in October 2018, and it is designed to help areas rebuild and harden their critical infrastructure to better withstand future natural disasters.

As of Thursday, there still was no timeline for the outfall. Officials have said there are ongoing environmental and engineering studies that must be carried out before the project can begin.

If the outfall is built in Panama City Beach, it will be the first of its kind in the Gulf. Other communities, such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, have successfully implemented similar developments and improved water quality over time.

"This is not a good idea," Coburn said. "Let them do it somewhere else (in the Gulf), and let it stand the test of time. But they're (planning to put) a lot more stormwater in the Gulf that they're letting on to people. There's two continuous outfalls and three intermittent outfalls, and they want to take that and put it into one.

"It's not just a little outfall from Lullwater Lake. This is a much bigger project than people realize."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach to apply for $3M grant to help fund outfall project