Category: Places

Wild oyster harvest from Apalachicola Bay has been suspended for 5 years

Debbie Roney Smith on

Did you know North Florida’s oyster fisheries dates back to the 1800s and at one point produced 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the nation’s oysters?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has unanimously approved a plan to suspend commercial and recreational harvest of wild oysters from Apalachicola Bay for five years. The rule will go into effect on Aug. 1. Under the new rule, on-the-water possession of wild oyster harvesting equipment, such as hand tongs, would also be prohibited through December 31, 2025.

The rules only apply to wild oysters and do not apply to oyster aquaculture operations. Staff will return for a final public hearing at the October Commission meeting. FWC’s large-scale restoration project will be ongoing on for five years and the largest portion of funding, nearly $17 million, will go directly toward forming 1,000 acres of oyster reef habitat.

 

Pinspiration in PCB

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Pinspiration is located in Panama City Beach on 2423 Thomas Drive, You can call 850-249-6040 for more information or click this link to be taken to the website https://www.pinspiration.com/locations/panama-city-beach/

Pinspiration is a franchise that is in 6 states. Florida has several locations and thankfully one is located her in the Panhandle. They believe that everyone is an artist, regardless of age, background, and skill level. This is for kids, adults, men, women, individuals, groups, skilled artists, and beginners. They have a bar onsite as well as a menu of snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. They give you all the supplies and materials you need to make an individual project on-the-spot. Makers work from tutorials so you don’t have to take a class.  Make what you want, when you want it! They have walk in or you can reserve your spot. Take a group and each of you can pick a different craft to do!

They are even offering camps for the summer. A maximum of 10 kids are allowed in camp each day. Temperature checks and hand washing are also in place. The themes being offered throughout the summer include pets, glow party, space, and Disney.  Campers complete three projects per day, getting to personalize each one. Camps are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and kids who are five through 12 years old can participate.

So get those creative juices flowing and plan to visit this great place soon!

 

New restaurant in Sneads~ Agave Mexican Grill

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Diners have another sit-down dining opportunity in town with the recent transformation of a closed seafood eatery into a grill with an international theme. The new restaurant, Agave Mexican Grill, is owned by Alberto Munoz, who also is co-owner of San Marcos in Marianna.

Munoz owns Agave on his own, taking the plunge after the former Captain’s Table became available. His life partner, Dacia Alcala, manages the eatery. Munoz said he pulled the trigger on the lease just before COVID-19 put all in-restaurant dining on hold. The restaurant is named after the plant used to make tequila. Although the restaurant doesn’t have a formal bar, mixed drinks—including those made with tequila, are available, along with beer and wine. An understated availability of those spirits leaves the restaurant with a kid-friendly presence, and colorful art with Mexican themes provides its international flair.

Contact info: (850) 593-0062 ~ https://www.facebook.com/agavemxgrill/ ~ 8110 US-90 in Sneads ~ Monday: CLOSED ~ Tuesday-Thursday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM ~ Friday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM ~ Saturday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM ~ Sunday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

STATE FOREST CLOSURES

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Last month, the Florida Forest Service announced that group recreation areas located on State Forests would reopen on July 10 with a limited capacity of 50 people. Due to the exponential increase in COVID-19 cases, group recreation areas and select other areas will remain CLOSED until further notice. All reservations through August 31, 2020 will be fully refunded. No new reservations will be accepted until further notice.

Visit FDACS.gov/FLStateForests to learn more about Florida’s State Forests.

 

 

New fire station officially operational in Panama City Beach

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The Panama City Beach Fire Rescue officially moved in a new fire station the last of June. Fire and city officials celebrated Fire Station NO. 30 becoming operational. The new station will house seven firefighters daily, so now a total of 17 firefighters will be on duty across the three stations each day. The new station is located right in the center of the city off of North Nautilus Road. According to Fire Chief Larry Couch, this will help cut response time almost in half. The new facility is filled with new green features such as automatic lights and efficient air conditioning.

The contractor was approved at Thursday morning’s City Council meeting in January 2019. After giving the okay to more than a five million dollar budget for the project, approving the contractor was the final step into getting the new station built.

New~Panama City ER~Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center

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This new freestanding emergency room will be a new choice for your emergent needs in Bay County and the surrounding communities. It will provide the top quality medical services you have come to know through our Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center facilities. Panama City ER is a full-service emergency department featuring 11 private rooms and is located at 3711 U.S. Highway 231 near Transmitter Rd. They opened just this week on June 29th. Telephone: (850) 769-8341 Website :https://gcmc-pc.com/service/panama-city-er

Panama City ER will feature:
State-of-the-art emergency department open 24/7
Adult/pediatric emergency care
Staffed by physicians specializing in emergency medicine on-site
Emergency-trained nurses
11 private exam rooms
Designated cardiac/respiratory resuscitation room
Diagnostic imaging on-site, including CT scanner, ultrasound, and x-ray
Laboratory services on-site

Lynn Haven Opened it’s Splash pads for the 2020 Season

Debbie Roney Smith on

Lynn Haven residents and their children now have another place to get some relief from the heat. The splash pads at Kinsaul Park and Cain Griffin Park are now open for the 2020 season, admission is free. They opened Monday at 10:00 a.m.

The city is still following the CDC recommended guidelines, and officials ask that the public continue to follow public heath officials recommendations.
Families were excited to once again have a safe place to take their children and meet with others. Officials said that traffic at the park was light but constant, which gave the visitors plenty of space to have fun.

GymTrix Athletics in Marianna

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GymTrix Athletics had a open house/registration day this past weekend. They open for classes on July 6th. They are located at 2976 Pennsylvania Avenue​​ in Marianna. ​You can call them at: 315-800-3213

They are a Veteran-Owned, dedicated Gymnastics Facility Offering the Following:

Preschool gymnastics
Beginner through advanced gymnastics
Special needs gymnastics classes
Competitive gymnastics team program
Gymnastics day camps
Private gymnastics lessons
Private birthday parties

You can learn more by clicking the link below:

https://www.gymtrixathletics.com/

 

Local Farms

Debbie Roney Smith on

The Florida Panhandle is ripe with local farms you can visit not only for the fresh food but also the agricultural experiences. By supporting local farms, you get to invest in your community AND get fresh, delicious, farm-to-table produce, and other assorted goods. Some local farms even host special agricultural experiences such as pick-your-own or seasonal corn mazes. Get out there and cultivate new experiences that will enrich your life and the world. Take your kids along to teach them lessons about the earth, farming, responsibility – and keep them occupied for a few hours! Take your family, take your friends – everyone can have fun at the following locations (not a complete list):
Blue Acres Berries in Sneads, FL – pick blueberries!
Jackson Farms in Grand Ridge, FL – pick snap peas, watermelon, and tomatoes!
Lee’s Tree Farm in Grand Ridge, FL – pick grapes!
Sweet Season Farms Corn Maze in Milton, FL – annual corn maze!
Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Milton, FL – pick your own Christmas tree!

The Center of Bay County ~Feeding the Gulf Coast June 20th

Debbie Roney Smith on

Want to learn more about Pride Month, Queer culture, or explore the LGBTQ+ community in the Panhandle specifically? Visit the all-inclusive LGBTQ+ organization in the Panhandle: The Center of Bay County. The Center serves as a public face for the community, acting as a firm advocate for mental, social, and physical health as well as offering a welcoming space to those in the community to meet, organize, and relax. Currently, the LGBTQ Center runs the only dedicated all-inclusive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and straight-allied (LGBTQ+) youth program in the Panhandle. The organization suffered a major hit due to Hurricane Michael when the room they rented at an Episcopal church in Panama City was destroyed. They are currently working to rebuild while still maintaining their community presence functioning as not only a safe space for those of the LGBTQ+ community but also offering social services such as direct assistance with shelf-stable food, furniture, housing assistance and more. Although the Pride Month events for this year were canceled due to COVID-19, there are virtual events being held AND the Center decided to reallocate the Pride celebration funds to a good cause.

On June 20th, the Center and Feeding the Gulf Coast will work together to host a 10,000-pound food distribution at 1608 Baker Court. S.

Learn more about their programs, events, and organization https://lgbtqcenterofbaycounty.org/