Bay County is located in the heart of Florida’s Great Northwest overlooking the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Along with its world-renowned beaches, Bay County boasts an educated and enthusiastic workforce which creates a wonderful business environment.
To find out more information about the exciting opportunities Bay County has to offer, explore the information throughout the site or please contact us.
EDA News
Panama City Ranks #1 in Magazine for Company Executives and Site Selectors
Business Facilities magazine ranked Panama City, FL number one of ten locations for Top 10 Metro Areas for Economic Growth Potential for communities with a population of less than 200,000. Panama City was selected because one of the nation’s largest economic development initiatives is taking shape and transforming the economic assets of the community. The new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport with its 10,000 foot runway, new terminal and 1,300 acres for future development, surrounded by West Bay, one of the nation’s largest master planned communities, together are creating a new regional economic center.
A Florida Bridge Loan Program for businesses affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are now available in Bay County through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in partnership with the Bay County Economic Development Alliance (EDA). Six local banks have agreed to serve on the Loan Review Committee, including: BB&T, Hancock Bank, Regions Bank, Summit Bank, SunTrust and Vision Bank.
Governor Crist activated Florida’s Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, which provides emergency, short-term loans to established small businesses affected by the oil spill. $5 million has been allocated to fund the program, which provides loans of up to $25,000 interest free for up to 12 months to businesses that are physically or economically damaged by the spill. The short-term loans help bridge the gap between the time the business is impacted and when it secures other resources, including profits from a revived business, payment of claims or longer-term loans. To be eligible, the business must have fewer than 100 employees, and been operational for at least one full year.
Eligibility requirements, documentation, applications and instructions can be found here. For more information, please call the SBDC at (850) 271-1108.
