Secretary Detzner Designates Panama City Main Street as Florida Main Street Program of the Month

TALLAHASSEE –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that Panama City Main Street has been designated the July 2015 Florida Main Street Community of the Month. Communities are selected based on their developmental achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street Program.

“From the scenic view of the marina, to the wonderfully preserved Art Deco architecture of the historic Martin Theatre, the Panama City Main Street area is filled with an assortment of visual delights,” said Secretary Detzner. “Panama City’s Main Street program provides many benefits to the entire community.”

As one of Florida’s first five communities to be designated in the program in 1985, Panama City has generated more than $62 million in reinvestment value from 170 public and private projects. Since becoming a Main Street, they have generated 345 businesses, 974 jobs, and 29,443 volunteer hours to the community.

The Art Deco style Martin Theatre on Harrison Ave.

“Panama City Main Street has a lot in the works,” said Executive Director Valerie Woods. “Our downtown marina is going through a revitalization process that we hope will boost our economic growth and help stimulate jobs and investments in our downtown. Our waterfront is a great resource for the city and we really want to make the most out of it for both tourists and our local community.”

Panama City is the county seat of Bay County and the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. The town was originally named “Harrison,” after William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States. In 1905, the United Fruit Company of New Orleans went on strike, resulting in the need for the company’s Vice President to relocate its port to Florida. The chosen port was “Harrison” because of its accessibility to the United Fruit Company’s connections, including Panama City, Panama. In an effort to attract new jobs and resources to the area, the city of Harrison was renamed Panama City.

For more information about Panama City Main Street or the Florida Main Street program visit pcdib.com, floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

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About Florida Main Street

Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 45 communities throughout the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach®, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul. Since the program’s inception in 1985, the Florida Main Street programs have cumulatively created 24,238 jobs, 7,190 new businesses and produced $2.3 billion in reinvestment.