Beach opens door to new water park

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL — The City Council took the first step Thursday toward the establishment of a new water park in Panama City Beach, but not without some dissent from city residents.

Council members gave their stamp of approval to a rezoning ordinance that would reclassify about 7.7 acres between Front Beach Road and Middle Beach Road from residential to amusement.

The property sits adjacent to and just west of the residential villas of Edgewater Beach Resort. Edgewater resident Sue Krauss told council members she had collected 125 signatures of property owners who disapproved of the reclassification.

“The owners of Edgewater have been here for 25 years,” she said, explaining the signers of the petition were concerned about possible noise coming from any new amusement park.

“There will be screaming kids and a horn blowing every time the wave pool moves,” she said. “This water park is proposed right on our fence line.”

The property sits about 100 yards east of the old Miracle Strip Amusement Park that was recently torn down along Alf Coleman Road. The city’s other water park, Shipwreck Island Waterpark, is just west of Alf Coleman.

Mark Nolan of Grand Panama Beach Resort said original plans for the site called for condos, but those plans were shelved with the downturn of the housing market. He said the park would probably only be active from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. about 100 days a year.

“We think any noise will be limited to daily hours,” he said.

While praising the quality of the Edgewater property, Nolan said the water park would be an asset to the surrounding area.

“This particular water park would have a lot of greenery and plush vegetation,” he said.

Nolan offered to meet with Edgewater residents and share any information that would calm their fears. Council members will hold a second hearing on the rezoning ordinance on Oct. 22 before final passage.