Panama City Beach tourism leaders unveil fiscal year 2027 plan

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The Bay County Tourist Development Council on Tuesday approved a marketing budget of more than $54 million for fiscal year 2027, funded by tourist dollars.

Visit PCB pitched its fiscal year 2027 plan to the council Tuesday.

We are a coastal community that lives off tourism. It’s our number one economy in our county," said Griff Griffitts, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Griffitts was hired in March 2026 to lead the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We have nothing to hide; we are an open book, and we’re going to make sure the public knows what happened in the past will not happen in the future,” Griffitts said.

Griffitts says tourism is a leading factor in Bay County’s economy.

“It makes everything cheaper for everyone that lives here. We talk about a 5 percent growth in 10 years; I’d like to do that in 5. We’re going to be very aggressive in promoting the destination,” Griffitts said.

The largest expense in the plan is maintaining the fields at Publix Sports Park. Tourism leaders say it is one of the TDC’s biggest sources of income.

“It helps bring people to the community that have never been here. They bring their families down here for sports and recognize we have a whole lot more to offer than just those ball fields,” Griffitts said.

Tourist tax dollars also fund amenities locals use all year.

“The public safety dollars that we give to the sheriff and chief of police to be used for the lifeguards and other public safety events, those are all things we are reinvesting into the community,” Griffitts said.

New initiatives in the plan include a coffee trail featuring a dozen local shops, a merchandise push, and an underwater livestream pier camera.

Tourism leaders also say a packed winter events calendar aims to keep visitors coming during the off-season. Highlights include the Pirates of the High Seas Festival in October, Home for the Holidays in December, and Mardi Gras celebrations in February.

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