Panama City Commission approves new boundaries for the city's four wards

PANAMA CITY − Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved an ordinance to rezone the city's four wards to account for how each has changed during the past decade. The shifts were based on population changes reported by the 2020 U.S. Census.

"It's an honor for me to serve my citizens, and not just the citizens of my ward," Ward 3 Commissioner Billy Raider said during the meeting. "To me, it's about the citizens, and they need to be heard and have good representation."

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With the rezoning, Ward 1 now has 8,440 residents, Ward 2 has 7,830 residents, Ward 3 has 8,506 residents and Ward 4 has 8,163 residents. The goal of rezoning was for no ward to have more than 5% over or under the average population of the four wards.

Before the changes approved Tuesday, Ward 1 had 8,548 residents, Ward 2 had 6,614 residents, Ward 3 had 8,567 residents and Ward 4 had 9,210 residents.

Officials have said the discrepancies between the wards were sparked by Category 5 Hurricane Michael, which hit the Panhandle in October 2018 and leveled areas of Panama City. Following the storm, there were regions of the city that experienced significant dips in population, while the population of others increased.

The Glenwood Community's population, for example, declined, and the population of the St. Andrew Community grew. To fix this, the boundaries of Ward 2 were expanded, and the boundaries of Ward 4 were shrunk. The two other wards also were slightly adjusted.

In light of the changes, polling sites for residents might look different in the 2023 Municipal Elections in April. Some residents who now live in a different zone also will vote for a different commissioner.

In a Tuesday news release, the ACLU of Florida said that in addition to providing equal representation for all residents of Panama City, the rezoning will give Black voters the ability to better participate in local government.

"Commissioners and community members came together in this redistricting process to reach a consensus on a map that best serves the people of Panama City," Rufus Wood, president of the Bay County NAACP, said in the release. "This map moves us forward and brings the city back in line with the law and constitution."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City rezones its four wards to account for population shifts