Panama City Beach - Arctic Wolf Club to howl in the New Year

PANAMA CITY BEACH— Are you from up North? Miss jumping into ice cold water on New Year’s Day? Well this may be the next best thing. Here is the Beach’s version of a Polar Bear Club.

The Arctic Wolf Club is preparing to howl in the New Year with a plunge into the chilly waters of Econfina Creek on New Year's Day, a ritual now in its eighth year. No they will not need to chop a in the ice before the plunge but it sounds like fun anyway.

Mark and Sandi Wolf have been hosting the event on their farm each year to raise money for charity, most notably the Seacrest Wolf Preserve near Chipley, the Council on Aging and the Gulf Coast Community College Foundation. Sandi Wolf expects about 300 people to attend the event at their farm, with about 100 jumpers.
Mark Wolf said they had always been interested in doing charity work, including an earlier trail-riding event for cancer. A few years ago they started the Arctic Wolf Club and the creek jumps. With their last name, it seemed a good fit. The jumpers will go one at a time from a rope swing, howling like a wolf the whole way. Each jumper will get a certificate or button to show they participated. Awards will be given for the youngest and oldest jumper.

Besides the big jump, the event also features a chili cook-off, a howling contest for the kids and an educational presentation on wolves. Those people who wish to come out and participate are encouraged to visit the Web site arcticwolfclub.com and bring a side dish. There is a suggested donation of $10 per jumper and $20 for those who just want to come and experience the fun. Last year, the event raised about $3,000.

The event begins at noon New Year's Day with the jump taking place at 2 p.m. Jumpers in the past have ranged from 72 years old to 2 years.
If you want to participate in the chili cook-off you should bring your pots before noon.

All jumpers will have to sign a release form. In case you wonder the spring-fed creek should be 67 degrees with the ambient temperature forecast for 64. The Gulf is around 60 degrees if you are looking for a colder swim.

To get to the jump, turn east on State 388 from State 77 and go about 7.5 miles, cross the Econfina Creek Bridge. Take the first left after the bridge at Dogwood Lane. There should be balloons marking the road. Follow the signs.
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Panama City Beach - Top Ten News Stories of 2008

In the annual Panama City News Herald Poll The good, the bad and the ugly stood out among readers and newsroom staff in 2008…Most of the stories are based on local events and do not deal with the Beach tourist trade so I will only list a couple of the stories.

Top 10 # 1 - County residents feel sting of faltering economy

Bay County's economy took a pounding in 2008, as high unemployment, a record number of foreclosure filings and a sluggish housing market took its toll on area residents and businesses.

The county's unemployment rate went from 4.9 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November, the highest level recorded since January 2002. Gulf Coast Workforce Board Executive Director Kim Bodine said the area's annual job growth rate measured a negative 3.4 percent in November, an overall loss of 2,600 jobs. Bodine said the county's unemployment rate could rise in early 2009, as the state's Agency for Workforce Innovation included more area job layoffs in its monthly totals. "I think next month will be up a half-percent at least," Bodine said Dec. 20, after AWI released its November unemployment numbers.

Area foreclosure filings were also on the rise in 2008. Irvine, Calif.-based foreclosure tracking company RealtyTrac had recorded 2,280 Bay County foreclosure filings through November. Filings in RealtyTrac's total included default notices, auction sale notices, and bank repossessions, with some properties with multiple mortgages receiving more than one notice. By comparison, the company recorded 960 Bay County foreclosure filings in its end-of-year 2007 market report, released in January. August was Bay County's highest month for foreclosure filings, according to RealtyTrac, with 328 filings. Like most other Florida metropolitan areas, Panama City recorded year-over-year decreases in existing home and condominium sales, as well as median sales prices, for most of 2008. The area did see a slight increase in November existing home sales. Bay County Association of Realtors President Jan Cox said in December she thought the area's housing market would start to stabilize in 2009 after a challenging 2008. The county's housing market must still work through a two-year existing inventory of residential homes and create a reason for prices to increase, Cox acknowledged. Cox said the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport could contribute to a housing market rebound that comes sooner than recoveries in other parts of Florida. "I see the Panhandle as having the absolute first shot at recovery and price appreciation," Cox said before Wednesday's meeting. [I am not in the market now but if you are looking for a Panama City Beach Condo there are some great prices on prime properties on the Beach.]

One 2008 economic bright spot was the end-of-year decline in gas prices. After spiking above $4 a gallon in the wake of Hurricane Ike's Texas landfall, gas prices dropped steadily over the rest of the year. By late December, Bay County gas prices had dropped as low as $1.63 a gallon at some area stations. The dip below $2 a gallon represented the first time area gas prices had fallen below that benchmark since February 2006.

Top Ten #3: Pier Park, new airport good news amid gloom

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The opening of Pier Park in Panama City Beach and continued progress on construction of the new airport near West Bay was some good economic news during this year's gloomy economy.
Dozens of restaurants and large retailers signed on to open stores at Panama City Beach's 93-acre Pier Park development, expected to reach 152 outlets when completed and 1.1 million square feet of retail space.

Construction of the Panama City-Bay County International airport picked up steam with the awarding of a bid for the new terminal and the decision to increase the length of the runway to 10,000 feet. In addition, a legal hurdle for the airport was cleared this year when a lawsuit was dismissed that sought to reverse a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the airport's construction. The lawsuit, filed by several environmental groups, claimed that building the $318 million airport would destroy valuable wetlands and that the Corps abused its discretion in issuing the permit. For now, officials say construction at the airport site is about four months ahead of schedule and the opening date is still planned for May 2010. [As a side note the Airport project has approximately 250 on site workers per day and offsite quarries, asphalt plants, truck drivers and other ancillary businesses employ another 350 people.]


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Panama City Beach 30 Degree Blue

Panama City Beach – 30◦ Blue - First does anyone know where the symbol for degree is on the keybord:)


Some friends gave us a gift certificate to 30◦ Blue for Christmas. Next time we are at our Panama City Beach Condo we plan on going to 30◦ Blue. I have seen adds for 30◦ Blue in the paper. Has anyone been to 30◦ Blue? Do they have a food specialty? Any menu recommendations? What is the dress?


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Panama City Beach – No plans for New Year’s Eve?

Our Panama City Beach Condo # 1105 is still available if you have a wild hair to head for Panama City Beach for New Year's.

Panama City Beach – No plans for New Year’s Eve? Head to Panama City Beach for the first New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop at Pier Park. Here are the details:

New Year's Eve Beach Ball Drop Presented by Margaritaville
- Family time from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- There will be stilt walkers, balloon animals and face painters on hand
- Bounce houses located in the green grass beside the volleyball court
- 24ft blow-up screen to feature live NYE countdowns across the world
- Barry Fish band to perform live in the promo area

New Years Eve Countdown
- From 9 pm to 1 am
- Roads will be closed to traffic from Front Beach Road to the circle in front of the promo area
- Live radio remotes provided by ClearChannel Radio (3 stations will be featured, tentatively they are 92.5 WPAP, Sunny 98.5, and 99.3 The Beat). Remotes will be located on every corner block that is closed to traffic.
- News Channel 7 will be here to broadcast the countdown live
- Countdown to midnight MC'd by ClearChannel D.J.
- Beach Ball drop will be located in the green grass across from the promo area
- Beach ball is an illuminated 8ft ball to be dropped 12 stories (120 ft.)
- Fireworks to immediately follow the ball drop

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Panama City Beach - Blue Angels to Visit in March

If you are going to be staying in our Panama City Beach Condo at the end of March you will have the opportunity to see the Blue Angels...

Panama City Beach - Tyndall Air Force Base got a visit from a slightly flashier flier, Friday.

U.S. Navy Blue Angels No. 7 dropped by to iron out some details before this spring's air show. The Navy F/A-18, painted blue and gold, arrived bearing Navy Lts. Amy Tomlinson, event coordinator, and Ben Walborn, narrator and advance pilot. Tomlinson said the performance team is practicing maneuvers in Pensacola and will eventually transfer to California to polish the routine. Tyndall's Gulf Coast Salute, held March 28-29, is the third of 36 scheduled appearances for the team in 2009.

"We come to the airfield just to work out the logistics and coordination with the air show committee in order to set up a successful and safe air show," she said. Tomlinson said the finishing touches are coming together on the year's routine, which must be blessed by the Federal Aviation Administration before it may be performed. "There may be some new maneuvers. There was one added last year called the ‘delta breakout' at the end of the show," she said.

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Panama City Beach - Winter Guests Pick up your SunCard Today

Panama City Beach - If you plan tp be in Panama City Beach for the winter this looks like a good way to save some money

The Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is hosting the annual Winter Resident SunCard program Friday December 19. The event is from 9-11 AM at the Visitor Information Center located at the corner of US 98 and State 79. Complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be served. At this gathering, the CVB will issue official Winter Resident SunCards to new and repeat winter residents. The cards provide value added programs and discounts at participating restaurants, hotels and other attractions and events. For more information go to visitpanamacitybeach.com or call 850-233-5070.

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Google adds Panama City Beach, Panhandle to Street View (see MAPS)

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bay County's streets went "live" Dec. 9.

That's the day Google Maps Street View, a program providing panoramic, street-level images from cities around the world, added Panama City and much of the surrounding Panhandle. Browsers on Google Maps now are able to take a virtual walk of Bay County streets — and the homes and businesses lining them. The images appear to have been gathered several months to a year before they were added to the map function.

"Locally, people usually have fun kind of poking around and making it sort of a detective game looking for movie theaters to see what was playing and things like that to see exactly when it was," said Google spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo.

This is cool. To see our Panama City Beach Condo building enter 17757 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL in the address box. Our condo is in Celadon Beach Resort, the tan building on right with the street walk over.

Ever since Google Street View was unveiled in 2007, the effort has raised some privacy concerns and spawned a minor Internet phenomenon of Street View users scouring cities for frozen non sequiturs. Although the initial images of Bay County were obtained using older and fuzzier cameras, Filadelfo said efforts already have begun in larger cities to scan using higher-resolution devices.

"If people are concerned about privacy or anything like that in every single image in Street View, at the bottom is a link that says ‘report a concern.' That will take them to a form where they can ... let us know an image they would like removed, and we would happy to do that," she said.

Street View images are gathered only from public roads, Filadelfo said. But other areas of concern also can be omitted. The stretch of Thomas Drive in front of Naval Support Activity-Panama City, in addition to a large portion of U.S. 98 through Tyndall Air Force Base, has been omitted. "When you're passing by those areas, we do try to be careful and err on the side of caution," she said.

Have fun looking around Panama City Beach!
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Panama City Beach - Condo Auction Yeserday Great Deals for Buyers

PANAMA CITY BEACH — We had dinner last night at the Shrimp Boat with a friends that sell Panama City Beach Condos and have a mortgage company. Gary and Janice went to the condo Auction at the Origin at Seahaven on Front Beach Road.

The first sale was a three-bedroom condo for $270,000; the next was a two-bedroom unit that went for $201,000. A few other units sold at similar prices. All of the available condos did not sell. This is a solid buyers market condos, which had previously sold for more than $500,000 sold for around $200,000.

If you are thinking about buying a Panama City Beach Condo there are some great deals out there. If you want an agent to show you around let me know and I will put you in touch with Gary and Janice. We have worked with them to buy three condos.
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Panama City Beach - Winter Guests Wanted

Hi,

Our guests that had our Panama City Beach Condo at Celadon Beach Resort #1105 reserved for the winter have had a health issue that has halted their winter vacation.

If you or a friend are looking for a great place to spend the winter check out our web site...Best Panama City Beach Condos for Rent

Jerry and Pam

Panama City Beach - Marketing Ideas

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The European tourist market is increasingly eyeing Northwest Florida as a vacation destination, and improving Panama City Beach's visibility overseas will become more important as the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport nears completion.

A market research expert told the full board of the Bay County Tourist Development Council Tuesday that interest in the Florida Panhandle by the European market, which he called a "beach market," was a recent phenomenon. "This is a market that you need to seed now and harvest down the road," said Walter Klages, president of The Klages Group, whose long list of clients includes McDonald's, the National Football League, Pizza Hut and Walt Disney World Inc.

Until that harvest can be achieved, however, tourists traveling by car are still the mainstay of Beach visitors, Klages said, representing about 84 percent in July through September 2008. [I agree with the numbers, they may even be a little low. Over the past year we have only had one couple fly to Panama City Beach to stay in our condos]. He presented a sheaf of statistics to TDC board members on the face of the emblematic Beach tourist.

The typical size of a group of visitors during that period was 3.2 persons, he said, with 8.4 percent representing first-time tourists to the area, most from nearby states such as Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Indeed, today's tourist is becoming increasingly reliant on the Internet for research into choosing a vacation destination, Klages said. And much of the information gleaned from the Web is becoming harder to control, with sites such as YouTube and Facebook becoming more popular.

He forgot the bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com site and jerryeyler wordpressblog about Panama City Beach.

"Consumer-generated information is beginning to dominate the Internet," he said. Because that type of information is irresistibly spreading, he urged board members to aggressively market the Beach's best asset, its uniquely white sand, which he described as rare in the world. To that end, board members decided to move forward on a contract with Jennifer Barbee Inc. to redesign the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site. Barbee has already been working with the TDC/CVB since being chosen a month ago to quickly create a micro-site connected to www.visitpanamacitybeach.com for next year's Spring Break marketing campaign.

Rowe also told board members that the TDC was partnering with Pier Park for a New Year's Eve fireworks display and midnight "Beach Ball drop." An eight-foot glowing ball will be lowered from a 148-foot crane. The fireworks will cost $10,000.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can do a more effective job marketing our condos?

Jerry
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Panama City Beach - Great place for a Vacation Home

Panama City Beach - I keep running across articles about Panama City Beach Condo real estate. Here is an excerpt from one of the articles. Their top five are Panama City Beach, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, The Crystal Coast, North Carolina, Lake Tahoe, California and Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.

CREDIT-CRUNCH-SQUEEZED homeowners and investors are unloading their second homes en masse, offering up desirable vacation properties at some pretty steep discounts.

"When the market is down and there's blood in the streets, someone else's misfortune could work in your favor," says Ken Kamen, president of New Jersey-based Mercadien Asset Management. Buying now entails some risk, however. After all, prices could drop even further. But for those looking to hold a property long term for a family vacation spot or eventual retirement retreat should feel confident that they'll recoup the investment, he says.

Here is one of the places where vacation-home bargains abound:

1) Panama City Beach, Florida
There's something for everyone in this Panhandle town where white "sugar sand" beaches along the Gulf of Mexico give way to inland attractions, including six championship golf courses and an active restaurant and nightlife scene. Prices for beachfront property run the gamut from $100,000 for a one-bedroom condo, to $2 million-plus for single-family homes of five bedrooms or more, according to vacation rental site HomeAway.com.

Why Buy Now: Besides the weather (temperatures rarely dip below the 60s, even in January) a new international airport is slated to open in the next couple of years. With it comes low-cost carriers and an abundance of nonstop flights. (Currently, flying from New York involves at least one connection and travel time of anywhere from 4.5 to 13 hours. In comparison, a nonstop flight from New York to Orlando takes about two hours.) That ease of access should help boost tourism — and property values, says Anil Pereira, CEO of secondspace.com a property-finding service. "It'll be more feasible to own a second home there," he says. "People will be able to fly in for the weekend."
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Panama City Beach - Holiday Events 12-7 - 12-14-08

The Celadon Beach Resort Homeowner meeting is Saturday the 13th. The Panama City Beach Condo homeowners that attend the Celadon meeting will have some nice events to attend.

SATURDAY, DEC. 13
Beach Christmas Parade sponsored by the Optimist Club of the Beaches; at Pier Park starting at 5 p.m., following a route though Pier Park. Details: 234-0854

Christmas Market: at the St. Andrews Marina Event Facility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local artists will be on hand with a variety of items on display. Stay around for the Boat Parade.

Boat Parade Of Lights: 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Theme: "A Star Spangled Christmas." Mandatory captain's meeting is at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at Granite Cafe on Beck Avenue in St. Andrews. For applications, visit www.historicstandrews.com and click on Documents and Information.

SUNDAY, DEC. 14
Apalachicola Community Christmas Program: Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. at Historic Trinity Episcopal Church. The Ilse Newell Concert Series presents a selection of holiday favorites. Details: (850) 653-9419
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Panama City Beach - Real Estate Update December 2008

Panama City Beach – Condos for Sale at Celadon Beach Resort

I received a real estate flyer in the mail yesterday about Panama City Beach condos. I thought that some of you might be interested in a short summary of the condo market so here it is…

There are currently 1,399 condos on the market in Panama City Beach ranging in price from $175,000 to $1,500,000. There are 46 sales pending and 558 sales have closed since January 1, 2008. So currently there is a 2.4 year supply of condos. Guess what it is a huge buyer’s market. If you have been thinking about buying a condo now is a great time to look.

The current asking prices in Celadon Beach Resort follow:
10 – 1 BR units $172 – $309K
4 – 2BR units $384 - $429K
5 – 3BR units $379 - $499K

Units sold this year:
11 – 1 BR units $178 – $295K
2 – 2BR units $350 - $365K
4 – 3BR units $385 - $450K

If there is any good news for sellers at least based on the units sold in Celadon Beach Resort in 2008 our condos are selling approximately twice as fast as the overall market in Panama City Beach.

Let me know if you want to talk to a realtor in PCB. I know two really good ones. If you want to visit Panama City Beach and look for condos, I suggest staying in one of our Celadon Beach Resort 1 BR condos with bunk rooms. You will be impressed with the property! Who knows, maybe you can get a great deal on a condo while you are there having a good time on the beach.

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Panama City Beach - Cyberscams

Be Careful Out there on the Web...

Panama City Beach - The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a new string of phishing e-mails making the rounds this holiday season. Scammers are posing as well-known companies that do a lot of business this time of year, attempting to steal personal information such as Social Security or credit card numbers, according to a BBB news release.

"While most of the country is spreading peace and love this holiday season, criminals are spreading computer viruses and stealing identities," said Norman Wright, president/CEO of the Bureau serving northwest Florida. "Hackers pose as trusted businesses to take advantage of the seasonal increase in online shopping and shipping."

Following are three phishing e-mails BBB has spotted this holiday season:

Shipping
Claiming to be from a legitimate shipping business such as FedEx or UPS, one phishing e-mail alleges a problem with delivery. It may include a link to a Web site that installs malware or solicits personal information. A recent message has a subject line of "Subject: Tracking Number 13040065504." It advises, "To take your package back you should print the copy of invoice that is in the added file." Of course, the attachment is a computer virus.

BBB ADVICE: Don't click on a link in the e-mail; instead go directly to the shipper's Web site or call the business (do not use a phone number provided in the e-mail) to ask if there is a shipping problem. Don't open attachments in unsolicited e-mails.

Surveys offering holiday spending cash

Targeting cash-strapped holiday shoppers, other phishing e-mails pretend to be from retailers such as Wal-Mart. One has the subject, "Online Survey from Wal-Mart Stores!!!" The message says, "You've been selected to take part in our quick and easy 9 questions survey. In return we will credit $90.00 to your account - Just for your time!" The e-mail includes a link to a Web site to "take the survey," but actually leads to a phishing site.

BBB ADVICE: Don't respond to unsolicited e-mails promising money for answering surveys. E-mails offering big rewards for minimal effort usually cost you in the end.

E-cards

E-cards are a popular and inexpensive way to deliver season's greetings. Legitimate e-cards typically send an e-mail with a hyperlink to a Web site hosting the e-card. Unfortunately, it's easy for hackers to disguise their phishing e-mails and direct users to Web sites that install viruses and malware.

BBB ADVICE: Phishing e-mails posing as e-cards can be difficult to spot. Be wary of e-mails with spelling and grammatical mistakes and don't follow links in an e-card if you don't recognize the sender. Consumers should report suspicious e-mails to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov
For additional information go to www.bbb.org
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Panama City Beach - Festival of Trees

See some holiday art and buy some gifts at...

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Decorated holiday wreaths adorned the walls of the Visual Arts Center on Wednesday night, and the smell of molasses and gumdrops filled the air.
It was the Panama City Rescue Mission's 5th annual Festival of Trees, and the third at the downtown center.

"We think the Visual Arts Center is a great venue for us," said The Rev. Billy Fox, executive director of the Rescue Mission. "We have some beautiful art, after all, and it's a wonderful cause." Community donated gingerbread houses, Christmas trees and other Christmas-themed art filled the galleries of the center, to be bid on by the public in silent auction. The Rescue Mission wants to surpass the $50,000 raised last year.

Funds generated from the auctions will go to support the Rescue Mission's Bethel Village, a shelter for struggling women and children. The Rescue Mission, which is suffering from limited space and a void of programs for the needy, is looking to add additional housing and a new driveway, as well as a pole barn for its community recycling program.

The bidding, which will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
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Panama City Beach - Dirty Santa Ball

Panama City Beach – I missed this event in my previous post. If you enjoy the Seaside Repertory Theatre here is a way to have some fun and support the Theatre…

Dirty Santa Ball is at 7 p.m. Saturday December 6, 2008 in Carillon Beach Resort ballroom to benefit Seaside Repertory Theatre. Tickets: $100 per person, Details: www.seasiderep.org or (850) 231-0733
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