GRAND LAGOON RESIDENTS OPPOSE A PLAN TO BUILD TWO HOTELS & A WATER PARK ADJACENT TO CAPTAIN ANDERSON'S RESTAURANT.

Bay County Commissioners not only plan to build two Marriott hotels, according to a WJHG News Channel 7 news story aired Thursday, March 2, 2024, this plan is going to happen without public hearings or community engagement.

After requesting more information from Bay County District 2 County Commissioner Robert Carroll in an email dated March 22, 2024, Mr. Carroll said because the empty acres are properly zoned, this planned build does not have to go on an agenda, which means there will be no public hearing.

Essentially, the Commissioners are moving ahead with the project, regardless of what Grand Lagoon residents want. There are no plans to conduct a traffic study, or an impact study for the County and its residents to understand how much of a strain these two hotels will have on traffic at the intersection of North Lagoon and Thomas Drive, on the environment where people rent jet skis and swim in the Grand Lagoon waters. Mr. Carroll did state the waterpark will only be allowed for hotel guests, and not the public.

Regarding the issue of traffic and pedestrian safety, Mr. Carroll said during a WJHG news channel 7 television interview aired on March 22, 2024 that Bay County commissioners have already started to work with traffic engineers. Specifically, "An engineer working on the project responded by saying the hotels will have two access points off North Lagoon and another egress that will feed onto Thomas Drive. He said they are open to working with the county to try and resolve the issue."

“We know cars are going to go to the intersection, so working with the county will see if there are some opportunities to try and fix the light and make the turning transitions a little smoother at the intersection,” said engineer Robert Carroll. SOURCE: WJHG news story dated March 21, 2024.

BACKGROUND: On March 21, 2024, local Panama City Beach, Florida news channel 7 WJHG Dekevion Gause broke the news to Grand Lagoon residents, whom many had heard about this project for the first time.