BAY COUNTY

FORT MYERS, Fla. — (AP) — Four years before Category 4 Ian wiped out parts of southwest Florida, the state's Panhandle had its own encounter with an even stronger hurricane, Michael. Tiny Mexico Beach, which was nearly leveled by Michael in 2018, still has fewer structures and people than it did before the storm. With little left in town after Michael, Cathey said, residents gathered daily at a portable kitchen to map out the way forward after the hurricane, and there was an unwritten rule. Residents might be ripe for a buyout or conversion after Ian, particularly since he and others had to repair damage after Hurricane Irma in 2017. But looking back, Wood said, he believes he made the right decision to rebuild and hopes people in Fort Myers Beach do the same.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — (AP) — Four years before Category 4 Ian wiped out parts of southwest Florida, the state's Panhandle had its own encounter with an even stronger hurricane, Michael. Tiny Mexico Beach, which was nearly leveled by Michael in 2018, still has fewer structures and people than it did before the storm. With little left in town after Michael, Cathey said, residents gathered daily at a portable kitchen to map out the way forward after the hurricane, and there was an unwritten rule. Residents might be ripe for a buyout or conversion after Ian, particularly since he and others had to repair damage after Hurricane Irma in 2017. But looking back, Wood said, he believes he made the right decision to rebuild and hopes people in Fort Myers Beach do the same.

Southwest Florida is getting some advice from the Florida Panhandle as it moves ahead after Hurricane Ian.

A Florida missing child alert was issued Wednesday for a 15-year-old girl out of Springfield, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Florida students began returning to classrooms this week amid a teacher and support-staff shortage, with some counties still advertising positions and exploring "creative options" to...

Flagler County has 108 job postings as of today, according to its openings advertised online, including 32 instructional positions.

A man broke into a Panama City zoo Tuesday afternoon before assaulting employees and visitors, Bay County deputies said.

The body of a Florida toddler was found in a septic tank on his family’s property, one day after the boy was reported missing. According to police, the incident appears to be accident.

Rowdy spring break crowds have forced curfews and led some establishments to close their doors from Miami Beach to Florida's Panhandle. Law enforcement officials in Bay County, Florida, said Sunday that they won't tolerate the bad behavior from spring breakers after a 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot Sunday during a shooting in Panama City Beach. ”The crowd that has been here this weekend, there are no words that can describe the way they have behaved themselves, conducted themselves and the amount of laws they have broken,” Panama City Beach police Chief J.R. Talamantez said during a news conference on Sunday afternoon.

Officials say the head of a Michigan healthcare system and her husband are dead after their small plane crashed a short distance from an airport in the Florida Panhandle.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promises continued government aid to areas impacted by wildfires.

Hundreds of residents forced to evacuate as blazes in the Florida Panhandle threatened their homes have been allowed to return, even as three wildfires in the region have grown to more than 29,000 acres.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A strike team made up of firefighters from departments across Central Florida has been deployed to Bay County in the panhandle to assist with the wildfire response there. READ: FEMA approves federal funds to help fight wildfire in the Panhandle22 firefighters from Orange County Fire Rescue, the Seminole County Fire Department, St. Cloud Fire Rescue, Osceola County Fire Rescue, and Canaveral Fire Rescue make up the Engine Strike Team. “Deployments such as this represent the dedication that firefighters have for the citizens they protect, responding wherever they are needed regardless of jurisdiction,” Orange County Fire Rescue Division Chief Michael Wajda said. READ: Public hearing set to discuss flooding issues in Seminole CountyAccording to the most recent update from the Florida Forest Service, there are currently nearly 160 wildfires burning more than 18,500 acres through Florida.

Officials say vetFirefighters continued to battle the 12,000-acre (about 4,860-hectare) Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 841-acre (340-hectare) Adkins Avenue fire, which have threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay County, Florida. erans forced to evacuate a nursing home by a Florida Panhandle wildfire have been allowed to return home.

Firefighters from Palm Coast and Flagler County Fire Rescue are deploying to the same area that was devastated by Hurricane Michael.

BAY COUNTY, Fla. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized federal find to help battle the wildfires burning in Bay County. On Sunday, the state of Florida submitted a request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) for the Bertha Swamp Road Wildfire. This is the second FMAG approved for Florida wildfires in the past two days. The Bertha Swamp Road wildfire started March 4 and has burned more than 9,000 acres of state and private land. Read: Central Florida firefighters join efforts to battle massive wildfire in Florida PanhandleFor more information on FMAGs, visit fema.gov/assistance/public/fire-management-assistance.

Huge wildfires in the Florida Panhandle have forced veterans at a 120-bed nursing home to evacuate.

The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday. Buses also were on standby in case the 1,300 inmates at the nearby Bay County Jail needed to be evacuated to other facilities. Hurricane Michael in 2018 left behind 72 million tons of destroyed trees that have provided fuel for the Bay County wildfires, according to the Florida Forest Service. “I know there has been frustration with people not being able to get back into their homes,” said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford. “It’s just hard to believe that something could be that big,” said Brad Monroe, chief of Bay County Emergency Services.

This particular area of the Florida Panhandle was still recovering from destruction caused by a Category 5 hurricane more than three years ago.

This particular area of the Florida Panhandle was still recovering from destruction caused by a Category 5 hurricane more than three years ago.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday amended an executive order he issued Friday to declare a state of emergency in Calhoun and Gulf counties due to spreading fires.

The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday. Big win for Bay County!" Please be patient as first responders battle these dangerous fires," Bay County officials posted online. The county opened a shelter at the Bay County Fairgrounds for displaced residents. “We understand and recognize that everyone is anxious to go back home, and that it has been a huge inconvenience," said Valerie Sale, a Bay County spokeswoman.

The 8,000-acre (about 3,237 hectare) Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 1,400-acre (567-hectare) Adkins Avenue fire threatened homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in Bay County, Florida over the weekend. The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday. Big win for Bay County!" Bay County emergency officials tweeted early Sunday. Please be patient as first responders battle these dangerous fires," Bay County officials posted online.

Fire crews from across Central Florida are responding to one of two massive wildfires in the panhandle that are forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Goree Island, a symbol of the Atlantic slave trade off the coast of Dakar, is seeing plastic waste accumulate on its fragile environment, despite the precautions taken by the municipality.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Firefighters from around Central Florida are joining the battle to save hundreds of homes from a raging wildfire in the Florida Panhandle. WATCH: ‘The perfect storm’: Massive wildfire forces evacuation of 600 homes in Florida PanhandleCrews gathered Saturday afternoon in Orange County to plan their response to the 1,400-acre wildfire in Bay County. Cloud, Seminole County, Osceola County and Cape Canaveral have baned together to join the efforts in North Florida. Photos: Central Florida firefighters join efforts to battle massive wildfire in Florida PanhandleExpand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 Central Florida firefighters join efforts to battle massive wildfire in Florida PanhandleA state of emergency has been issued in Bay County as the so-called “Adkins Avenue Fire” has destroyed and damaged homes. Ron DeSantis was in Bay County Saturday morning to give an update on the response from state and local officials.

Panhandle fire: The Adkins Avenue fire has already burned more than 1,400 acres in Bay County, Florida. (Mike Fender/News Herald via AP)PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Residents of 600 homes were evacuated on Saturday as a wildfire raged in the Florida Panhandle, state forest officials said. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release from the Florida Forest Service, the Adkins Avenue fire in Bay County has burned more than 1,400 acres. https://t.co/xU261zQkGJ — Florida Forest Service (@FLForestService) March 4, 2022More than 200 firefighters from the Panhandle were working to contain the fire, WJHG-TV reported. A burn ban remains in effect for all of Bay County, WJHG reported.

Residents in 600 homes in the Florida Panhandle have been evacuated as a wildfire destroyed two houses and damaged 12 others, in an area that has spent the past three years recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Michael.

The governor issued Executive Order 22-54 to declare a state of emergency in Bay County after the wildfires engulfed eight homes and led to the evacuation of thousands more, with weather conditions expected to maintain a moderate drought in the area for at least the next three days, according to the order.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference Thursday morning at Florida State University Panama City.

Victoria Thomas is the first to admit she was driving on a suspended driver license in 2018 but she cannot explain why that event prompted the Department of Economic Opportunity to suspend her state unemployment benefits.

A cluster of severe storms has swept across Southern states, leaving at least one dead in Louisiana while toppling power lines in Mississippi and leveling buildings in the Florida Panhandle.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that can provide extra doses from each vial.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – The Bay County Republican Party said it won’t recognize President-elect Joe Biden as legitimate unless President Donald Trump concedes and acknowledges that the 2020 election was fair. The Florida Panhandle organization's executive committee voted last month, deciding that its officials should not cooperate with Biden's administration. The organization said in a statement that the future of the Republican Party lies in Florida and that its members have an obligation to protect its conservative values, according to the Pensacola News Journal. Tonight’s (Dec. 7) vote makes clear that the Bay County Republican Party is prepared to continue to stand with President Trump and leaders that hold the conviction to fight for the American people and our Constitution," Bay County Republican Party Chairman Debbie Wood said in a written statement. The resolution, which was widely circulated on social media, notes the party would only refer to Biden’s administration as “President-imposed” without Trump’s concession and will encourage Bay County Republican officials to not cooperate with “an illegitimate Biden Administration on any matters that infringe upon the Constitutionally protected rights of our citizens.”

Ron DeSantis visited a senior center in Bay County Sunday morning to provide an update on the state’s vaccine rollout plan. [Register for the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida here]But Seminole County Emergency manager told News 6′s Justin Warmoth during The Weekly there is still a long way to go. “So clearly not even a dent, not even 10% of what we really need.”Across the state DeSantis said the demand for vaccines is outweighing the supply. HospitalizationsAs of Sunday, there were currently 7,497 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration. VaccinationsThe Florida Department of Health recently began releasing a daily report on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

The Volusia County Democratic Party is hosting a Holiday Giving Open House at the Democratic Headquarters, 855 W. New York Ave., DeLand, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1. Volusia County Democrats will be collecting gifts to provide to people in Bay County, where Hurricane Michael destroyed homes last year. The party is hosting a Holiday Giving Open House at the Democratic Headquarters, 855 W. New York Ave., DeLand, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1. Hurricane Michael caused $25.1 billion in damages. Its landfall as a Category 5 near Mexico Beach, in Bay County, left the community wiped out, according to the Federal Department of Emergency Management.

DeSantis said the money being awarded in Bay County will help the area rebuild needed housing for workers. Panama City and other communities have grappled with housing and worker shortages after many homes were destroyed or severely damaged in the storm. We need the folks to be working right here in Bay County.Michael damaged 60 percent of the homes around Panama City, eliminating 43 percent of the low-income housing. The Triumph Gulf Coast Trust Fund handles money Florida receives in annual settlement payments from BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. On Thursday, the Florida Democratic Party called out DeSantis, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Trump and said more relief is needed for the region.

Bay County schools have lost more than 1 in 8 students, which will affect the amount of state education funding they receive. During the past school year alone, 125 students in Bay County schools were placed in custody for a mental health evaluation under Florida's Baker Act. "We are in the midst of a mental health crisis here in Bay County," school district officials concluded in a report. County officials also said they had seen a disturbing amount of domestic violence cases but did not provide details immediately. The Bay County recovery blueprint calls for signing bonuses, slashed taxes and student loan forgiveness to physicians and mental health providers who come to Bay County.

Multi-million-dollar deluxe beachfront houses designed for large groups of vacationers are the latest housing trend in Panama City Beach. PANAMA CITY BEACH The vacation home at 21809 Front Beach Road is a bit different from its predecessor. Bay County is starting to look like the high-end sections of Walton and Okaloosa County.Why can $4 million be termed a bargain? A homebuilder for more than 40 years, he has worked in Bay County since 2001. He currently has 17 new single-family houses in various stages of construction in Panama City Beach alone.

Multi-million-dollar deluxe beachfront houses designed for large groups of vacationers are the latest housing trend in Panama City Beach. PANAMA CITY BEACH The vacation home at 21809 Front Beach Road is a bit different from its predecessor. Bay County is starting to look like the high-end sections of Walton and Okaloosa County.Why can $4 million be termed a bargain? A homebuilder for more than 40 years, he has worked in Bay County since 2001. He currently has 17 new single-family houses in various stages of construction in Panama City Beach alone.

Multi-million-dollar deluxe beachfront houses designed for large groups of vacationers are the latest housing trend in Panama City Beach. PANAMA CITY BEACH The vacation home at 21809 Front Beach Road is a bit different from its predecessor. Bay County is starting to look like the high-end sections of Walton and Okaloosa County.Why can $4 million be termed a bargain? A homebuilder for more than 40 years, he has worked in Bay County since 2001. He currently has 17 new single-family houses in various stages of construction in Panama City Beach alone.

Bay County and Panama City Beach officials and business leaders are trying to protect tourists on a Florida vacation but they say the money isn't there. PANAMA CITY BEACH When it comes to beach safety, cost is the killer. This not the first time beach officials have rebuffed the idea of lifeguards along the 9.2-mile beachfront. There, they pressed Bay County and Panama City Beach officials to create an effective professional lifeguard program to protect tourists and residents. We stated the opinion that Panama City Beach officials had shown a callous disregard for water safety, Brewster later recalled.

Florida beach officials and business leaders in Bay County and Panama City Beach are trying to protect tourists on Florida vacations, but they say the money isn't there. PANAMA CITY BEACH When it comes to beach safety, cost is the killer. This not the first time Beach officials have rebuffed the idea of lifeguards along the 9.2-mile beachfront. But no one from the Tourist Development Council, Bay County Commission or Beach City Council attended the symposium. We stated the opinion that Panama City Beach officials had shown a callous disregard for water safety, Brewster later recalled.

Florida beach officials and business leaders in Bay County and Panama City Beach are trying to protect tourists on Florida vacations, but they say the money isn't there. PANAMA CITY BEACH When it comes to beach safety, cost is the killer. This not the first time Beach officials have rebuffed the idea of lifeguards along the 9.2-mile beachfront. But no one from the Tourist Development Council, Bay County Commission or Beach City Council attended the symposium. We stated the opinion that Panama City Beach officials had shown a callous disregard for water safety, Brewster later recalled.

Florida beach officials and business leaders in Bay County and Panama City Beach are trying to protect tourists on Florida vacations, but they say the money isn't there. PANAMA CITY BEACH When it comes to beach safety, cost is the killer. This not the first time Beach officials have rebuffed the idea of lifeguards along the 9.2-mile beachfront. But no one from the Tourist Development Council, Bay County Commission or Beach City Council attended the symposium. We stated the opinion that Panama City Beach officials had shown a callous disregard for water safety, Brewster later recalled.

PANAMA CITY Many Floridians believe the Panhandle has finished recovering from Hurricane Michael and would not donate money to help ongoing relief work, a new survey shows. The survey also indicates that three out of four respondents would not consider donating money to help. Related: Hurricane Michael taught harsh but valuable lessonsAlso, almost half of South Floridians were unaware which hurricane hit the Panhandle and less than half knew the severity of the storm. Griffitts said a series of other disasters soon after the hurricane, such as the fires in California, helped overshadow Michael. For information on how to help with Hurricane Michael recovery, visit https://www.rebuild850.org/This story originally published to newsherald.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network.

PANAMA CITY Many Floridians believe the Panhandle has finished recovering from Hurricane Michael and would not donate money to help ongoing relief work, a new survey shows. The survey also indicates that three out of four respondents would not consider donating money to help. Related: Hurricane Michael taught harsh but valuable lessonsAlso, almost half of South Floridians were unaware which hurricane hit the Panhandle and less than half knew the severity of the storm. Griffitts said a series of other disasters soon after the hurricane, such as the fires in California, helped overshadow Michael. For information on how to help with Hurricane Michael recovery, visit https://www.rebuild850.org/This story originally published to newsherald.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network.

PANAMA CITY Many Floridians believe the Panhandle has finished recovering from Hurricane Michael and would not donate money to help ongoing relief work, a new survey shows. The survey also indicates that three out of four respondents would not consider donating money to help. Related: Hurricane Michael taught harsh but valuable lessonsAlso, almost half of South Floridians were unaware which hurricane hit the Panhandle and less than half knew the severity of the storm. Griffitts said a series of other disasters soon after the hurricane, such as the fires in California, helped overshadow Michael. For information on how to help with Hurricane Michael recovery, visit https://www.rebuild850.org/This story originally published to newsherald.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network.

PANAMA CITY Many Floridians believe the Panhandle has finished recovering from Hurricane Michael and would not donate money to help ongoing relief work, a new survey shows. The survey also indicates that three out of four respondents would not consider donating money to help. Related: Hurricane Michael taught harsh but valuable lessonsAlso, almost half of South Floridians were unaware which hurricane hit the Panhandle and less than half knew the severity of the storm. Griffitts said a series of other disasters soon after the hurricane, such as the fires in California, helped overshadow Michael. For information on how to help with Hurricane Michael recovery, visit https://www.rebuild850.org/This story originally published to newsherald.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network.