Marina boat ramp controversy spills into Panama City Commission meeting

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Panama City residents didn’t shy away from voicing their concerns about the marina boat ramp at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Some people said they heard rumors of the marina boat ramp closing.

“It sounds to me now like it’s a done deal that it’s going to be closed,” said a Panama City resident who spoke at the meeting. “We can all live with that if we get another one downtown. Commissioner Haligas has suggested we talk about it so why don’t we make some arrangements to have a meeting where everyone can talk about it.”

However, Mayor Greg Brudnicki said regardless of whether or not the boat ramp closes, the city is in need of more access.

“The message I want everyone to get for the 25th time is we’re not going to close the boat ramp on the city marina until we have enough alternatives that are better, that no one would care if it’s closed,” said Brudnicki.

There’s a possibility the boat ramp will stay at the same location and is currently open for the time being.

The mayor said there isn’t a set timeline at the moment.

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