Gulf Power CEO Expresses Support for New Airport

Gulf Power President and CEO Susan Story expressed support for the new airport at the Greater Panama City Beaches Chamber of Commerce’s “Friday at the Beach” event on March 9.

In her speech, Story made two points we should all remember.

First, she encouraged us to use a regional approach and work together to take advantage of economic development opportunities. She’s absolutely right. I agree that the new airport will bring our region many new economic development opportunities. We need to work together to capture them and build the strongest, most diversified regional economy possible.

Second, she told the crowd that many of her friends were “envious” of the opportunity the new airport will provide us. Many other airports in the state (and country) are landlocked and have limited expansion capabilities. We have developed a large-scale, long-term land use plan in the West Bay sector to promote economic development while protecting the bay.

Sometimes we lose sight of the tremendous opportunity before us. It takes a sense of perspective from someone like Susan Story to remind us that soon our region will have a unique economic development platform to grow our regional economy and attract good jobs.

It comes down to this: If we work together, we can make our region the envy of Florida and the southeastern United States.