Panama City Beach, Florida
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1943 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Panama City Beaches census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32407. The Survey maps it on the Panama City Beach quadrangle. 18,094 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 10 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1943 to 1988The same ground, surveyed 45 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Panama City Beach
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Camp Helen Historic Districtlisted 2012
Latimer Cabinlisted 2004
Population over time
2 figuresPanama City Beach grew from 12,018 to 18,094 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12,018 | |
| 2020 | 18,094 | +6,076 (+51%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1943 USGS Panama City Beach quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Panama City Beach quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Panama City quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1982 USGS Panama City Beach quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1988 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
114 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 114 fires within 5 miles of Panama City Beach between 1992 and 2020, burning about 805 acres in total. 9 started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 27 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 16 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 16 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 14 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Natural | 9 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 6 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2014 | Natural | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | G MILES INTERIOR (03) |
| 8 September 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 20 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Florida Forest Service | 03/ PALMETTO TRACE-0542 |
| 2 September 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | CHURCHWELL (03) |
| 17 September 1995 | Natural | 60 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 16 September 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 13 September 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | FRONT BEACH (3) |
| 12 September 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Panama City Beach: 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter's Asphalt and Concreate, I - Panama City Beach Mine | Sand | Unknown |
Storms near this place
43 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Panama City Beach in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 12 thunderstorm wind, 10 rip current, 5 tornado, 5 lightning. The reports record 12 deaths and 14 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2003 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 2 killed | Two swimmers drowned in rough surf. A dozen swimmers were rescued. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| August 1999 | Lightning | Panama City Beach | 1 killed, 1 hurt | A Georgia man and his teenage daughter were struck by lightning while walking along the beach behind the Sugar Sands Motel on Front Beach Rd. The man died from the strike. The girl was treated by EMS personnel and released. |
| July 2005 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | An 18-year-old male drowned in heavy surf. Reported by the Orlando Sentinel. |
| July 2005 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A 13-year-old female was dragged 600 yards into the Gulf of Mexico and drowned. Reported by the Orlando Sentinel. |
| May 2004 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | Rip currents claimed the life of a 26-year-old man at Panama City Beach. Reported by the Tallahassee Democrat. |
| June 2004 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | Rip currents claimed the life of a teenage tourist just east of Panama City Beach. Two swimmers were rescued. Reported by the Tallahassee Democrat. |
| May 2002 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A man drowned after he was caught in a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| May 2002 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A man drowned after he was caught in a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| June 2002 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A man drowned while attempting to escape a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| July 2002 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A man drowned while attempting to escape a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| September 2002 | Rip Current | Panama City Beach | 1 killed | A man drowned from a severe rip current caused by Tropical Storm Hanna. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| January 1999 | Tornado (F2) | Panama City Beach | 7 hurt, $4,000,000 | A tornado initially struck at Panama City Beach damaging several homes and a few hotels within a four-block area surrounded by Sunset Ave-Thomas and Holiday Dr. The tornado again touched down two miles to the north at the Hathaway Bridge (U.S. Highway 98) where a six-car pileup injured seven. Finally, the tornado lifted over St. Andrews Bay and descended about a mile further north into a residential area surrounded by Big Daddy-Marina Dr. and Bay Circle where numerous homes and businesses were damaged. Scattered power outages affected several thousand customers in West Panama City and Panama City Beach. |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Panama City Beach | 3 hurt | Three people were struck by lightning while walking on the beach. All were transported to the Gulf Coast Medical Center and released. Reported by the Panama City News Herald. |
| October 1997 | Tornado (F1) | Panama City Beach | 1 hurt, $350,000 | Waterspout moved ashore. Extensive roof damage to beach front hotel, sewage treatment plant, middle school and convenient store. One minor injury sustained from flying debris. |
| July 2007 | Lightning | Panama City Beach | 1 hurt | Lightning struck from a sudden thunderstorm near a teenage girl. The girl was shocked and overcome by the bolt. She was rushed to a local hospital and was reported in good condition. |
| July 2004 | Lightning | Panama City Beach | 1 hurt | A 29-year-old woman suffered minor burns when lightning struck the water on the west end of Panama City Beach. |
| February 2008 | Flood | Panama City Beach | $750,000 | Flooding began along Beach Drive, Thomas Drive, in the Cove and near the intersection of State Road 77 and 23rd Street, then spread until roads across the county were underwater. By 8 pm CST, county officials reported severe flooding at State Road 79 and Pine Log Road, Joan Avenue and Front Beach Road, and County Road 2301 and Noel Road. The county courthouse and Emergency Operations Center were closed due to severe flooding. Twenty Parker residents were rescued from their apartments on Cherry Lane, where three feet of water had entered. Several homes along 16th Street in Cedar Grove were surrounded by water. Many streets in Springfield were underwater, and 30 to 40 homes in the Robindale subdivision took on water. Schools were closed on February 22. A 50-foot wide portion of John Pitts Road in northern Bay County washed away. The flood gates at the west end of Deer Point Lake's dam were opened to release flood waters into North Bay near Southport. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $500,000 | 60 mph wind gust reported by WJHG-TV. Thunderstorm winds lifted a 40-by-90-foot roof off a local paper mill. The Bay County EMA reported trees down on cars, houses and several city streets. |
| June 1994 | Tornado | Panama City Beach | $500,000 | A waterspout moved onshore at Panama City Beach and heavily damaged the roof of two motels causing $100,000 damage. Roofing material fell onto parked cars and did mostly superficial damage. The wall of an oil lubrication building collapsed destroying one car and damaging ten others. Numerous power lines were blown down. |
| August 2006 | Lightning | Panama City Beach | $350,000 | Lightning struck a home on the east side of Panama City Beach and caused extensive damage. Reported by the Panama City News Herald. |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $125,000 | Straight-line winds tore off a roof from a townhouse on the 17700 block of Front Beach Road and dumped it across the road into a wooded area behind an office complex. Numerous shingles were blown off the townhouses. Much of the roof was peeled off the Gala Inn. A small boat was flung across the road from the sand dunes and struck three vehicles. Two other vehicles were overturned. Reported by the Panama City News Herald. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $100,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds downed power lines at residence on Albatross Lane. |
| March 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $50,000 | A portion of the roof covering four rooms at the Majestic Motel and Resort was torn off. Some small sheds on the beach were destroyed and a few cars were damaged. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| September 2002 | Storm Surge/Tide | Panama City Beach | $15,000 | Storm surge heights of three feet caused minor beach erosion. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| June 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Panama City Beach | $10,000 | The waterspout came ashore as a weak F0 tornado between Front Beach and Cobb Roads on the west end of Panama City Beach. Before it dissipated, it ripped a 9-ton steel-and-wood cement mold from the 16th floor of a condominium under construction. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| November 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Panama City Beach | $10,000 | A waterspout came ashore and caused minor structural damage at a construction site on U.S. Highway 98. Reported by the Bay County EMA. |
| October 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $3,000 | Power lines were blown down in several locations around Panama City Beach. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $2,000 | A trained spotter estimated winds of 60 to 70 mph with power lines blown down. The monetary damage figure provided is a rough estimate. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $1,000 | WJHG-TV relayed a reported of a large pine tree blown down. |
| February 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $1,000 | Downed power lines were reported near Panama City Beach. |
| November 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $1,000 | Bay County Sheriff's Office reported a shed knocked down and some windows blown out of a building on Thomas Drive. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | $500 | A picture was submitted on social media of damage to an awning attached to a house near Panama City Beach. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Numerous roads on the east end of Panama City Beach were underwater due to heavy rain in a short period of time. |
| December 2023 | Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Minor flooding was reported along Cabana Blvd. |
| September 2022 | Flash Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Water was inside a house in the Panama City area. |
| June 2022 | Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Minor flooding was reported along portions of Highway 98. |
| February 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | - | Multiple trees were blown down in Palmetto Trace. |
| August 2020 | Flash Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Water was reported over roads in several locations. |
| August 2020 | Flash Flood | Panama City Beach | - | The media relayed a report of flooding on Alf Coleman Road between Back Beach and Middle Beach Roads. |
| February 2016 | Funnel Cloud | Panama City Beach | - | A funnel cloud was visible on the Schooners web cam in Panama City Beach for a brief time. |
| February 2013 | Flash Flood | Panama City Beach | - | Water surrounded the building of Arnold High School via a series of pictures from WJHG's facebook page. Heavy rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour had occurred over the past couple of hours. Bay County Emergency Management also reported several road closures in the area around Panama City. |
| September 2011 | Funnel Cloud | Panama City Beach | - | Home video was forwarded to the NWS by the public that showed a funnel cloud near Panama City Beach. |
| March 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Panama City Beach | - | A 61-mph thunderstorm wind gust measured at Surfside Middle School. Reported by Panama City WJHG-7 TV meteorologist. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Panama City Beach | 0.0 miles | 17 | |
| Long Beach Resort | 0.2 miles | 17 | |
| Edgewater Gulf Beach | 1.1 miles | 17 | |
| Gulf Lagoon Beach | 1.3 miles | 17 | |
| Bahama Beach | 2.4 miles | 17 | |
| Florida Beach | 3.0 miles | 17 | |
| Bid-A-Wee | 3.0 miles | 17 | |
| Biltmore Beach | 3.4 miles | 17 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Panama City Beach | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1075852 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 308451. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







