Panama City Beach council ready to give city manager more authority during emergencies

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The majority of city council members appear ready to give City Manager Drew Whitman more emergency decision making power.

With a 4-1 vote, the Panama City Beach Council on Thursday approved the first reading of an ordinance to give the city manager the authority to swiftly make decisions during natural, technological and human-made emergencies without the approval of the council. Such situations might include hurricanes or terrorist attacks.

This would add to an existing ordinance put in place in April 2022 that gave the position the same authority during civil emergencies. It was sparked by "Panamaniac," an unsanctioned event that created a dramatic spike in crime throughout the area.

"I don't think there's anybody I trust more than our city manager," Mayor Mark Sheldon said. "As a former police chief, I don't think anybody else knows the things that he's been through and seen. ... He's got this city's back, and I have absolutely no qualms about giving him (this) authority."

Sheldon also said the additions would give Whitman the power to "do what he needs to do" to protect Panama City Beach during such emergencies without wasting potentially valuable time. This might include creating curfews, blocking roads, halting alcohol sales or closing businesses.

Whitman was selected by the City Council as city manager in March 2021. He transitioned into the position from his previous role as chief of the Panama City Beach Police Department. He joined the Beach Police as a patrolman in 1991 and became chief in 2012.

Like Sheldon, Councilman Paul Casto said he does not think Whitman would abuse the new power given by the updated emergency ordinance.

"During several hurricanes that I went through ... we lost communication. We couldn't communicate and didn't have cell phones," Casto said. "There's a lot of different things that the city manager could do that needs to be done in an emergency. ... It's just a tool that he can use when he needs to, and if he abuses it, we'll take it away."

According to the meeting's agenda, without the updated ordinance, it would take an emergency City Council meeting to enact an official state of emergency in the aftermath of a hurricane or terrorist attack in Panama City Beach. Such meetings can only be called by either the mayor or three members of the council.

Whitman said a state of emergency must be in place before city employees are eligible for disaster pay. The city can then be reimbursed for this pay by the federal government. If a devastating hurricane were to hit Panama City Beach, it might take a day or so before an emergency meeting could be organized by the City Council.

Meanwhile, there still might be emergency decisions that need to be made − decisions that without the updated ordinance could not happen until an emergency meeting occurs.

"Anyone who knows me knows I hate the use of power," Whitman said. "I'm very informed before I make any decision, so this isn't something I would do (with) a knee-jerk reaction. ... It's a lot of power for one person, (but) if I make the wrong decision, I expect to be held accountable."

Original ordinance: In the wake of chaos: PCB considers giving city manager more power to handle emergencies

Along with giving the city manager more authority during emergencies, the updated ordinance also sets at 42-day limit for how long the city council could extend any emergency measure enacted by the city manager. Officials said this timeline was added to be uniform with the sate legislature.

Any executive emergency decisions made by the city manager can only last up to 72 hours without a vote by the council.

Council Member Mary Coburn cast the lone vote against the updated ordinance. Though she agrees it is important to act quick during an emergency, Coburn said the particular ruling poses constitutional violations.

"I understand (that) when there's civil unrest we need to act swiftly and decisions need to be made on the spot, and I'm comfortable with setting up guidelines for those instances, but I feel like this ordinance is more that that," she said. "It is overreaching. ... The ordinance bypasses due process under the laws of our country, and it chips away at our personal freedom."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach manager may get more emergency decision-making power