Panama City will negotiate public-private partnership to restore for St. Andrews Marina

PANAMA CITY — City officials plan to enter into a public-private partnership to renovate, operate and maintain the St. Andrews Marina, which has lingering storm damage caused by a Category 5 Hurricane Michael more than five years ago.

In a meeting on Tuesday, Panama City commissioners unanimously agreed for the city to enter into negotiations with St. Andrews Marina Partners LLC.

"At the end of the day, I think what people are wanting is to see (this marina) open and operational, and positively contributing back to the city tax base," Commissioner Josh Street said. "I hope that we have a successful negotiation and agreement to come."

Street also said he and other officials initially thought the Federal Emergency Management Agency would cover all expenses needed to restore the marina to the way it was before the storm. However, they learned a few months ago "that was not going to be the case," he said.

St. Andrews Marina Partners was one of three companies that submitted proposals for the partnership. The other two were Royal American Construction Company and St. Andrews Marina Management LLC.

"I'm thankful for partners," Street said. "There were three total proposals from different people who had different takes. ... I think it's great that we're able to bring in a partnership to help us fill the gap that we've obviously got."

If the partnership is finalized, St. Andrews Marina Partners would lease the marina from the city and use private funding to pay for its reconstruction. It would then manage the day-to-day operations of the marina while keeping it a public amenity.

According to the meeting's agenda, an interview team composed of different city staff members and officials determined the group's plan not only was "the most advantageous," but also "consistent with the long-term vision" of the marina.

St. Andrews Marina Partners plans to "utilize existing drawings and specifications" for the marina "to leverage the city's to-date investment" in the project. The group's proposal aims to expand the marina's operations from 28 berths to 78 berths within a year of the commissioners' approval of the partnership. Additional work, including bulkhead repairs, utility replacements, marina store renovations, and additional berths, are then slated for further down the road.

More on the marina: Panama City considers public-private partnership to rebuild, manage St. Andrews Marina

It could take until after the new year for commissioners to vote on a final partnership agreement.

"I think this is great," Mayor Michael Rohan said. "We're going on to something that we can't afford, but the people want it done. Hopefully (St. Andrews Marina Partners) will cut us some slack and give us some good negotiations."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City to negotiate partnership for St. Andrews Marina