WHAT’S INSIDE:

• Grand Opening Celebrations

• Air Carriers Are Ready To Land
• Airport Facts by the Numbers
• Memorable Photos
• First Look at the All Green Designs

May 18, 2010 • An Advertising Supplement to The News Herald

Page  | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 

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 From an idea grew
Page  | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010
an international airport
The idea for a new airport began growing
when efforts to extend the runway of the
old Panama City-Bay County International
Airport bogged down over environmental
concerns.
Conversations between officials with The
St. Joe Co. and former Airport Authority
chairman Don Crisp led to a group char-
rette in October 1998, during which about
40 people bounced ideas around about im-
proving air service.
Among that group were two representa-
tives from Southwest Airlines.
Jerry Ray, former St. Joe senior vice
president for external affairs, said he had
known Southwest officials for some time,
knew that they were the right airline for the
area, but also knew they couldn’t operate out
of the old airport with its shorter runway.
The new Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport, with a 10,000-foot run-
way, has grown near West Bay.
A multi-faceted deal between Southwest,
St. Joe, tourism development councils in
Bay and Walton counties, officials with the
new airport and resort owners along the
Panhandle have brought the nation’s largest
domestic carrier to the area.
“In the big picture, St. Joe gets the lion’s
share of the credit,” said Marty McDaniel,
former chairman of the Bay County Tourist
Development Council. “They have taken
a monumental risk, but it’s a risk that we
think will be rewarded.”
 
A long dance
Officials have praised the set of agree-
ments and relationships reached between
various organizations that brought South-
west to Northwest Florida.
“The team is huge,” Ray said. “It’s taken
an entire region. We are all on the cutting
edge.”
Ray, involved in businesses surrounding
airlines for 30 years, knew the transforma-
tive power of bringing a new airline — and
the right airline — into a community. He had
seen it before in the late 1970s during an era
of airline deregulation.
“I know how a community can be
transformed by airlines,” Ray said. “And
we are now in the second phase of that
transformation.”
Bob Montgomery, Southwest’s vice presi-
dent of properties, says he was not at the 1998
charrette but aware of the meeting. He said
Southwest, “as a normal course of business,”
engages in extensive discussions with a com-
munity before jumping into a market.
He described it as “a long dance.”
News Herald File Photos
Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill,
left, holds aloft a model of a Southwest
Airlines jet given by Southwest’s director
of marketing, Dana Williams, right, during
Southwest’s announcement they would
operate from the new Northwest Florida
Beaches International Airport.
Current Airport Authority Chairman Joe
Tannehill said critics of the new airport had
gotten it wrong when they joked that air-
port boosters hoped “to build it and they will
come,” referring to attracting a new low-cost
carrier.
“It was more like, ‘Build it and then work
like hell,’ ” he said.
The sole reason for the new airport had
been to improve air service and lower fares
to Northwest Florida, and strategy sessions
were conducted for years, Tannehill said.
Bay County represented a unique situa-
tion because Southwest would open opera-
tions at a new airport for the first time, one
that did not already have a matrix of estab-
lished routes to core cities, Montgomery
said.
In addition, the airport was billing itself as
environmentally friendly.
The risks were greater, and Southwest
needed a corporate partner such as St. Joe,
the region’s largest landowner, whose inter-
ests coincided with the airline’s. New markets
needed to be opened, new routes established
and the story of Northwest Florida needed to
be told to the rest of the country.
“This is something new for us,” Montgom-
ery said, describing the interrelated agree-
ments that were painstakingly hammered
together from conversations and meetings
over a number of years.
SEE idea | 5
idea from Page 4
The deal would never have come
together without the work of the Air-
port Authority to oversee the timely
construction of the airport with al-
most no debt, Montgomery said.
Tannehill praised past Airport
Authority chairmen such as Crisp
and state Rep. Jimmy Patronis for
having a vision that culminated in
Southwest’s decision.
“It was really the gleam in his
eye that first got the idea going,”
Tannehill said of Crisp. The efforts
to construct the new airport in-
volved negotiations with not only
St. Joe and state and local leaders
but also environmental groups.
“We could not have done it with-
out St. Joe,” Crisp said of the com-
pany that donated about 4,000 acres
for the new airport, as well as envi-
ronmental set-asides, as part of a
state-sanctioned 74,000-acre West
Bay Sector Plan for managed devel-
opment surrounding West Bay.
The decision by Southwest
“shows that this was the real thing,”
Crisp said of building the new air-
port. “Southwest puts us on the
map, puts us in the market.”
The current set of agreements
with Southwest will become a model
for the rest of the country, Ray said.
“The first meeting with South-
west was in late 1998, so it is a well-
grounded relationship,” Ray said.
“This package of interrelated agree-
ments with the Northwest Florida
team will be a model for airline new
service starts nationwide.”
  Lifting the veil
McDaniel said he attended strat-
egy sessions for a year during which
the various parties talked about
bringing Southwest to the table.
The discussions were held “very
close to the chest.” Like Ray, he
called the set of agreements “un-
precedented” and a model for the
rest of the country.
“This is very innovative,”
McDaniel said. “This is a very
unique way to get a low-cost carrier,
which is a game-changer.”
The agreements come with both
risks and rewards.
Montgomery said St. Joe stepped
up to share the risk, and the TDCs
of Bay and Walton counties agreed
to pass additional bed taxes and
A countdown clock inside a construction trailer at the Northwest
Florida Beaches International Airport constantly illuminated the time
left before the airport’s May 23 opening.
cooperate in marketing efforts. In
addition, Coastal Vision 3000 was
born to rebrand the region beyond
individual cities.
“Y’all are really taking steps to
be viewed as a region,” Montgom-
ery said of the linked efforts.
St. Joe has agreed to make quar-
terly payments to Southwest for its
first three years of service in the
event Southwest operates at a loss,
up to $14 million the first year and
$12 million the second year.
The TDC earlier this year ap-
proved an extra penny in bed taxes
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 
on short-term rentals to aid in mar-
keting the area for a low-cost car-
rier. The approximately $2.2 million
per year from that tax, as well as
a half-cent increase in the bed tax
in Walton County, proved to be a
shot of adrenaline in efforts to lure
Southwest, McDaniel said.
“That got St. Joe to really hit the
throttle,” he said. “They realized
then that the tourism community
was serious.”
Papers filed by St. Joe with the
Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion noted Southwest’s obligation
to provide air service to the new
airport was conditioned, in part, by
the TDCs of Bay and Walton coun-
ties coordinating their marketing
resources.
Those negotiations began in the
hours after Southwest’s announce-
ment, and a deal was structured ac-
cording to the ordinances approved
on the bed taxes. “This is a winner
for everybody,” McDaniel said.
“A substantial marketing push
was needed,” he said. “Something
more than we could do ourselves.”
Once a person finally experi-
ences the reality of what the area
offers, “your jaw drops and you start
drooling,” Montgomery said.
McDaniel said Southwest has
a business model that is different
than other airlines and tailor-made
for the Panhandle. Each node in
the Southwest network is meant
to fit well with other connections,
he said.
Northwest Florida will now have
the opportunity to build beneficial
co-op networks and sister-city rela-
tionships with other destinations.
“We have hit a huge home run
for the region,” McDaniel said.
Page  | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Airport promises opportunity for regional growth
Millions of dollars are be-
ing spent nationally to pro-
mote the area and the new
Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport, not
only to short-term tour-
ists but long-term business
interests.
Southwest Airlines has
committed to eight non-
stop flights a day from four
cities, totaling about 2,000
passengers per day. Delta
Air Lines, currently operat-
ing from the old airport, has
announced it will add two
flights per day with larger
McDonnell Douglas MD-88
aircraft, which have a seat-
ing capacity of 142.
Airport officials say the
“Southwest effect” will draw
new business and industry
to the area.
Panama City attorney
William Harrison says the
new airport will affect the
region in both large and
small ways, from the growth
of small businesses to large
industries.
“All of a sudden we have
hundreds of thousands of
people looking for some-
thing to do, in volumes that
we have never seen before,”
said Harrison, who is head-
ing up the fundraising effort
for the three-day celebration
surrounding the airport’s
May 23 opening.
“What will these people
do?” he said, mentioning
amusements, restaurants,
biking, boating and canoe-
ing. “What happens with the
number of people who will
be relocating here?”
TDC Executive Director
Dan Rowe said he thinks the
community will be ready.
Like an old-style country
preacher, he has been trav-
eling the nation in recent
them being here.”
The area has some of
the most beautiful beaches
in the world and an infra-
structure in place to wel-
come new visitors, Rowe
said, including miles of
hotels and condos. The
area already handles a
large influx of tourists
every year during the
summer tourism season.
He called it “our oppor-
tunity to be in the sun.”
News Herald file photo  
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., during last year’s Northwest The Southwest effect
Harrison said the low
Florida Aerospace Corridor Tour, said the new airport
fares of Southwest, the
will become both a magnet for tourism traffic from other
nation’s largest domestic
nations and a magnet for the aerospace and the defense
carrier, will have a ripple
industry in Northwest Florida. effect throughout the region.
The lower rates will make it
months, pitching his tent but we have to make sure easier for businesses to op-
in various media markets we take advantage of the erate and help industry ex-
to preach the gospel of opportunity,” Rowe said. pand into the area. Known
Panama City Beach. “We have to let them know as “the Southwest effect,”
“We are ready for them, that we are excited about the phenomenon has been
seen in other communi-
ties when Southwest opens
operations.
Harrison said he knows
of local business people who
say they will double their
volume with the opening of
the airport and the low fares
of Southwest.
“It changes the men-
tality of people who may
want to come into our mar-
ket,” he said. “There is a
trickle-down effect. It makes
it more efficient for people
to do business.”
With the opening of a
new international airport
and its longer 10,000-foot
runway — along with Port
Panama City and nearby
rail and highway lines — the
pieces of a modern indus-
trial transportation system
are in place.
PLEASE SEE Growth | 7
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 

growth from page 6

As the mentality develops that Ed Nelson, Gulf County‘s Econom- resort. Other shows an air trafficleaders must plan, create a recog- other sites, Watermeier said.
Panama City Beach is no longer ic Development Alliance executive controller standing on the sugar- nizable name, or brand and active- The move is significant. St.
only a drive market, the economy director. “It’s not automatic; we sand beach, directing jumping ly recruit wanted industries, said Joe’s West Bay sector president
increases overall, not just in tour-have to come together as a com- dolphins. Both ads end with “Grab Dr. John Kasarda, a renowned Rod Wilson said the company’s
ism but other businesses as well. munity to get things done.” your beach bag. It’s on.” expert on economic development move sends a message that St.
“You have a lot more opportuni- In the next 20 years, Northwest Southwest also is planning surrounding airports. Airports Joe is confident in the airport’s
ty to do business,” Harrison said. Florida could see phenomenal impromptu beach parties where are what highways and railroads potential.
Current businesses will grow growth in areas such as high-tech businessmen strip to swimsuits in were in the last century, he said. “I think this is going to help
and new industry will relocate industry, commercial and residen- the downtown area of cities such Today’s airports are destinations change the perception of North-
into the area as communities ex- tial mixed-use development, trade as Chicago and Nashville. And the to themselves, attracting restau- west Florida, and we’re glad to
pand their roads, utility systems, and tourism, officials said. advertising is getting a good re- rants, hotels, museums, retail be a part of that,” Wilson said.
signs, police and fire protection, Tourism will feel an immediate sponse, even from unanticipated business and industry. The move also made sense
he said, preparing for a future withimpact as “the Southwest Effect” areas such as Midwestern resi- Efforts to recruit businesses because St. Joe is the largest
thousands of more people living takes off, officials said. An adver- dents, Williams said. already are under way, but con- private property owner in North-
and working in Bay County and tising campaign is already in full Southwest is great, but it’s not
struction preparation usually west Florida.
throughout Northwest Florida. swing to markets such as Orlando, enough, experts said. takes more than a year. Planning St. Joe is banking on a net-
Nashville and Dallas, Southwest “Southwest is important, but and locating a company in the work of connections to target in-
Just taking off Airlines marketing and commu- it’s more important what we do new industrial space adjacent to dustries, but residents shouldn’t
The work to bring high-wage nications director Dana Williams from a community perspective,” the airport will take about four expect an instant transforma-
jobs to Northwest Florida is just said. said Kevin Johnson, St. Joe Co.’s years, Bay County Economic tion, Wilson said. The clock for
taking off. The airport’s economic Southwest Airlines serving an vice president of marketing for the
Development Alliance executive attracting business won’t start
impact is still years away but the area such as Panama City means West Bay sector. “Without politi- director Janet Watermeier said. until the day after the airport
work to bring high-wage jobs to cheaper airfares and usually about cal will and investment in people, St. Joe’s decision to relocate opens, Florida’s Great North-
Northwest Florida is just taking 60 percent more travelers. Those investment in infrastructure and its headquarters from Jack- west President Al Wenstrand
off, officials say. travelers mean tourism dollars investment in education, we will sonville to its property at the said.
“Transportation, like this air- locally. not fully realize this opportunity.”
new airport is meant, in part, to Even then, success is not
port, does not create economic Recent Southwest ads show a   convince other companies the guaranteed. The community
development; it creates the oppor- Southwest baggage handler hand- Destinations project is viable. It also means must treat the airport as an
tunity for economic growth,” said ing out golf clubs at a local golf Airports spawn businesses, but infrastructure will be in place for asset, leaders said.
Page  | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Grand
opening
celebration
WEST BAY — Free tickets are available for the Satur-
day, May 22, community grand opening celebration of the
new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
The celebration will include food and drink vendors
and tours of the new airport terminal building. A free
parking pass can be downloaded from the Web site www.
northwestfloridabeaches.com. Times and activities may
change due to weather and/or conditions.

Schedule of events for Saturday:

• 9 a.m. — Gates open
• 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. — Merritt Brown Middle Band
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Flipside, fun for children
• 9:45 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. — LoCash Cowboys
• 10:55 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. — Arnold High Jazz Band
• 11:30 a.m. — Grand opening.  Local, regional, state and
federal dignitaries mark the occasion, including Sen. Bill Nelson
and Gov. Charlie Crist
• 11:45 a.m. — Tyndall Flyover
• 12:20 p.m. — Ribbon-cutting
• 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. — Eric Heatherly
• 1:55 p.m. — First Southwest Airlines flight ETA
• 1:55 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. — Bay High Band
• 2:15 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. — Stainless Steel
• 2:30 p.m. — Second Southwest Airlines flight ETA   
• 2:30 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. — Bay High Band
• 3 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. — Eric Heatherly
• 4 p.m. — Gates close within the hour

If you go
Free tickets for the Saturday, May 22, event can be picked up
at the following locations:
• Bay County Chamber of Commerce, 235 W. Fifth St., down-
town Panama City
• Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, 17001
Back Beach Road (U.S. 98), Panama City Beach
• Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce, 309 Richard
Jackson Blvd., Panama City Beach
• Mexico Beach CDC, 102 Canal Parkway, Mexico Beach
• Walton County Chamber of Commerce, 63 S. Centre Trail,
Santa Rosa Beach
• Beaches of South Walton, 25777 U.S. 331 S.
• Panama City-Bay County International Airport (current
airport), 3173 Airport Road, Panama City.
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 

From small meetings, the idea for

a major airport began to emerge
in 1998. In the intervening years,
the new Northwest Florida
Beaches International Airport
with its 10,000-foot runway
has grown near West Bay and
a myriad of governmental and
economic groups have touted its
future economic benefits. After
its May 23 opening, the airport
also has long-range plans to grow
with the region for the next 50
to 100 years, including the abil-
ity to expand to parallel runways
of 12,000 and 8,400 feet, with
1,400 acres available for inside-
the-fence commercial and indus-
trial development.

News Herald file photos

Page 10 | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sector plan mixes

Congratulations on
the Grand Opening of development, conservation
the Northwest Florida Special to The News Herald
Beaches International The West Bay Sector
Airport Plan is an ambitious land-
planning scheme, the cen-
terpiece of which is the
Northwest Florida Beaches
AVCON, INC. International Airport. Flor-
Engineers & Planners ida allows only five sector
plans statewide.
Established 1988 That plan seeks the
managed growth of about
78,000 acres of St. Joe Co.
land around West Bay, in-
cluding portions set aside for
industrial and residential de-
velopment, the airport and
environmental set-asides.
Officials have touted the
plan as a tool for “broad-
brush” planning. It al-
lows governments, private
Airport Design citizens and agencies con-
Highway Design cerned with transportation,
forestry and the environ-
Bridge Design
ment to have input into pro-
Airport Master Planning posed development.
Structural Engineering Officials know that any
Site Design planned residential devel-
Utility Design opments must have the
proper infrastructure. En-
vironmental groups also
Niceville, FL have an opportunity to voice
Virgil C. “Lee” Lewis, P.E. their opinions on wetlands
(850) 678-0050 protection.
County officials have
Orlando, FL said the West Bay Sector
Plan gives the region an
Sandeep Singh, P.E. unmatched opportunity for
James A. Kriss, P.E. balanced growth, more eco-
Rick V. Baldocchi, P.E. nomic development and en-
(407) 599-1122 vironmental protection.
Officials say the new air-
Charlotte, NC port offers the biggest and
Michael A. Darcangelo, P.E. best hope to meet the need
for improved air service to
(704) 954-9008 Northwest Florida. That po-
tential is why nearly every
www.avconinc.com governmental body, cham-
ber of commerce, economic
development council, tour-
ism development council
and other job-development
entities in the region support
it so vigorously. And that is
why after years of study
the Florida Department of
Transportation and the Fed-
eral Aviation Administra-
tion support the airport and
have backed it with almost
$150 million.
The roughly 75,000-acre
plan is meant to provide a
balance of improved air ser-
vice, stronger economic de-
velopment and permanent
protection for nearly 40,000
acres of wetlands and water-
shed along West Bay.
Officials have called it
the “largest, most compre-
hensive and conservation-
minded land use plan in
Florida’s history.”
Every aspect of the plan
The West Bay
Sector Plan is
an ambitious
land-planning
scheme, the
centerpiece
of which is the
Northwest
Florida Beaches
International
Airport. The plan
seeks to both
manage growth
and protect
some of the most
beautiful and
remote areas
along West Bay.
News Herald file photo
is important and connect-
ed. The new airport will be
the gateway for business,
commercial and residential
development for the entire
region. There is ample room
to locate businesses on the
airport property or on adja-
cent land.
Officials say “the big
idea within a big idea” is
the 40,000-acre conserva-
tion area. In 2001, when the
West Bay Sector Plan was
being discussed at dozens
of public workshops, a con-
stant theme was the need
to protect the bay. Local
environmentalists and en-
vironmental groups saw the
potential, participated in the
planning and have lent their
support to the plan.
An area roughly the size
of all the cities in Bay County
combined is permanently
protected.

Directions to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Proudly serving the
Panama City-Bay County
International Airport
and Industrial District
since 1994
The new Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport is on State 388, between
State 79 to the west and State 77 to the east.
From Panama City, take State 77 north
through Lynn Haven and Southport. Turn left onto
State 388. Proceed about eight miles. Airport
entrance is on the right.
From Panama City Beach, take State 79 north
toward West Bay. Turn right onto State 388.
Proceed for about four miles. Airport entrance is
on the left.
Driving west on I-10 from Tallahassee, take
State 77 south to State 388. Turn right and
proceed about eight miles. Airport entrance is on
the right.
Driving east on I-10 from Pensacola, take State
79 south to State 388. Turn left and proceed
about four miles. Airport entrance is on the left.
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 11

The new Northwest

Florida Beaches
International Airport
will be the only airport
in the Florida Panhandle
planned with the reach
and infrastructure to
help businesses expand
throughout the region.
News Herald file photo

opportunities
The new Northwest Flor-
ida Beaches International
Airport will be the only air-
port in the Florida Panhan-
dle that:
l Is an international
airport;
l Has customs and im-
migration on call 24/7;
l Is Free-Trade Zone
ready;
l Is able to operate
without restriction 24/7/365;
l Has no noise or incom-
patible land use issues;
l Has the ability to ex-
pand to parallel runways of
12,000 feet and 8,400 feet;
l Has 1,400 acres avail-
able for inside-the-fence
commercial/industrial
development;
l Has pad sites with run-
way access available;
l Has a master-planned
sector outside the fence, in-
cluding a regional employ-
ment center permitted for
millions of square feet;
l Is designed to be
the nation’s first “green”
airport and is building a
LEED-certified terminal
building;
l Has a plan to operate
carbon neutral.

The new airport: By the numbers

Site size federal and state governments and Airport
Authority revenues. No local taxes have
The new airport has been built on about been used.
1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site. This cost included work, such as feasibil-
The site has ample room for expansion. It ity and site selection studies, environmental
is the first commercial-service international impact statement and mitigation plans and
airport built in the U.S. in the past 15 years. permitting, plus work for design, financing
Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines and construction.
will offer daily nonstop service to Atlanta,
Memphis, Orlando, Cincinnati, Houston,
Baltimore and Nashville. The West Bay Sector Plan
The airport is the anchor to the West
Airport dimensions Bay Area Sector Plan, an overarching
land-use plan for the development and
The airport has been designed to grow conservation of about 75,000 acres in
with the region for the next 50 to 100 years. northwestern Bay County. It is among the
Basic airport specifications include: largest mixed-use planned communities in
Primary runway: 10,000 feet x 150 feet the United States.
Crosswind runway: 5,000 feet x 100 feet
(not yet constructed)
Terminal: 125,000 square feet Green terminal
Gates: 7 The Airport Authority has committed
Restaurants: 2 that the new airport terminal will be certi-
Retail shops: 2 fied “green” under the Leadership in Energy
Car rental ticketing counters: 5 and Environmental Design (LEED) pro-
gram of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Project cost The LEED program is a voluntary
certification program that defines high-
About $330 million with funds com- performance buildings, which are more
ing in equal one-third shares from the environmentally responsible.
Page 12 | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Airport Authority cleared hurdles
to make airport a reality
The construction of Northwest
Florida Beaches International Air-
port, the first commercial-service
international airport built in the
U.S. in the past 15 years, has not
come without challenges.
Despite the challenges, the
Airport Authority Board has man-
aged to bring the airport in on
time, and on budget, and with the
addition to the area of Southwest
Airlines, the nation’s largest do-
mestic carrier.
Consider:
A lawsuit that sought to reverse
a permit issued by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers for construc-
tion of the new airport was dis-
missed in late 2008. The lawsuit,
filed by several environmental
groups, claimed the construction
of the new $318 million airport
would destroy valuable wetlands
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The lawsuit was brought by Questions also arose during Northwest
Florida Clean Water Network Inc., construction of when to build a Florida
Natural Resources Defense Coun- 5,000-foot crosswind runway that
Beaches In-
cil, Citizens for the Bay Inc. and could cost about $18 million. Al-
Defenders of Wildlife. though Airport Authority Board ternational
Work on the airport continued Chairman Joe Tannehill has said Airport.
as the lawsuit moved through the he is committed to the project, the One of the
courts, with most of the site prepa- added runway was put on hold un- airport’s
ration on the 4,000-acre site north til after the May 23 opening. challenges
of County 388 completed by the Most recently, questions arose during con-
time of the dismissal. regarding proper construction of a
struction
The airport also ran into prob- state-of-the-art drainage filtration
lems with the state Department of system that will solve the problem has been
Environmental Protection (DEP) of treating stormwater before it to control
regarding site stabilization and leaves the airport grounds and en- stormwater
control of erosion, the lack of ters the West Bay watershed. The runoff into
which led to hundreds of thou- completed system has six miles of surround-
sands of dollars in fines by the under-drains and a large filtering ing creeks.
DEP. The question of who was pond. Construction officials were
responsible clouded several Air- working to solve the problem as News Herald
port Authority Board meetings. the grand opening date neared. file photo
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Air carriers ready to fly at ECP
With the opening of the new
Northwest Florida Beaches Inter-
national Airport, Bay County will
immediately have three air carriers
ready to ferry passengers: South-
west Airlines, Delta Air Lines and
Delta Connection.
Southwest Airlines is a low-cost
airline. Southwest is the largest
airline in the world by number of
passengers carried per year (as of
2009). Southwest Airlines has car-
ried more customers than any other
U.S. airline since August 2006 for
combined domestic and interna-
tional passengers, according to the
U.S. Department of Transportation’s
Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Southwest maintains the third-
largest passenger fleet of aircraft
among all of the world’s commercial
airlines.
As of May 3, 2009, Southwest
operated about 3,510 flights daily.
Southwest has its headquarters
on the grounds of Love Field in
Dallas, Texas. From Northwest
Florida Beaches International Air-
port, Southwest will operate nonstop
flights to Nashville, Tenn.; Orlando;
Baltimore/Washington D.C.; and
Houston.
Delta Air Lines is based and head-
quartered in Atlanta. It is the world’s
largest airline. Delta operates an ex-
tensive domestic and international
network, spanning North Ameri-
ca, South America, Europe, Asia,
Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbe-
an and Australia. Delta operates its
largest hubs at Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport and
News Herald file photo
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Airport.
On Oct. 29, 2008, Delta completed
its merger with Northwest Airlines
to form the world’s largest commer-
cial carrier. In February 2009, the air-
line began consolidating gates and
ticket counters at airports where
both Delta and Northwest operate.
Delta, through its Delta Connection
carriers, will operate flights to and
from Atlanta and Memphis, Tenn.,
from Northwest Florida Beaches
International Airport.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 13
Donations help bring military
welcome center to new airport
The Northwest Florida
Beaches International Airport
will feature a 2,000-square-foot
military welcome center.
The new center will have a
receptionist with a waiting ar-
ea that features large-screen
TVs and computer terminals
for military visitors who need
Internet access. There also will
be a children’s area and a small
kitchen.
The center will be on the
airport terminal’s second floor,
News Herald file photo
above the baggage claim area.
The Airport Authority donated Interior designer Lori Bates,
the space, with the furniture rights, talks with Jay Lacey,
and accessories for the wel- secretary of the Bay County
come center anticipated to cost Veterans Council, at the
about $60,000. construction site of the new
After initial contributions
airport.
from AT&T and Vision Bank,
OFS Furniture, the manufac- Council will manage the wel-
turer of the furnishings, agreed come center on a long-term
to donate all of the remaining basis, and an official ribbon-
items needed for the center. cutting ceremony will be held
The Bay County Veterans after the airport opens.
Page 14 | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Special to
the News Herald
1996
Airport Authority com-
pletes Airport Master Plan
Update. The plan identifies
extending both the runway
length and runway safety
areas among future needs.
Airport Authority
initiates an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to consid-
er alternatives for a runway
extension at the existing
airport.
The EA recommends the
extension of Runway 14-32
to the northwest into Goose
Bayou, which are Class II
Surface Waters protected
under state law.
Based on the analyses
conducted, the proposed
project would have resulted
in significant adverse effect
to Goose Bayou.
1998
The Airport Authority ter-
minates the EA process and
the proposed project due to
the magnitude of the effects
and concerns expressed by
agencies and local environ-
mentalists over whether the
effects could be mitigated.
The Airport Authority
begins to consider the
possibility of relocating the
airport to a new site and be-
gins an effort to build commu-
nity support for relocation.
The Airport Authority
works with the St. Joe Com-
pany to investigate the feasi-
bility of relocating the airport.  site as the plan’s centerpiece.
The St. Joe Company, Bay
County’s largest private land-
owner, agrees to consider the
possibility of donating land
for a relocated airport.
18400 Panama City Beach Parkway
Panama City Beach, Fl 32413
850-249-0123
Remodeling V Custom showeRs V All FlooRing
A history
1999
With support from the
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion (FAA) and the Florida
Department of Transporta-
tion (FDOT), the Airport Au-
thority initiates a feasibility
study examining the poten-
tial of expanding or relocat-
ing the airport facilities.
2000
The Airport Authority
submits the Airport Feasi-
bility Study to the FAA and
FDOT in July 2000.
On Aug, 18, 2000, the FAA
notified the Airport Author-
ity that it concurred with
the recommendation of the
study to proceed with a site
selection study to determine
alternative locations for
relocation of the airport.
The Airport Site Selec-
tion Study was completed in
December 2000 and identi-
fied potential locations for
the relocated airport, with a
recommended optimal site.
2001
In April, the FAA pro-
vides tentative site ap-
proval for a site in western
Bay County, based on the
Airport Site Selection Study’s
recommendation.
The Airport Authority, the
Bay County Commission and
the St. Joe Company make
use of Florida’s new, innova-
tive sector planning process
to develop a large-scale long-
term land use plan for 75,000
acres in northwestern Bay
County, with the new airport
The plan also includes more
than 41,000 acres identified
as conservation land.
2003
In December, the
In Business
Since 1973
Bay County Commission
approves the land use chang-
es in the West Bay Sector
Plan, including the proposed
site for the new airport.
2004
The FAA begins prepar-
ing a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS)
for the airport relocation
project.
In November, the FAA
delivers its DEIS.
2005
In January, the FAA holds
a public hearing and com-
ment period on the DEIS.
In March 2005, the Airport
Authority votes to relocate
PFN, contingent on a rec-
ommendation by the FAA to
relocate in its Final EIS and
Record of Decision. Other
contingencies include the
ability to secure all necessary
state and federal permits and
adequate funding.
The FAA begins prepar-
ing the Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) on
the proposed project.
2006
The FAA issues its FEIS
in May, identifying relocation
to the proposed West Bay site
as its Preferred Alternative.
In September, the FAA
issues Record of Decision,
issued in September 2006,
recommended and approved
relocation to West Bay.
Florida issues final state
permits necessary for airport
construction at new site.
2007
Airport Authority finalizes
design/construction team for
new airport.
U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers issues Section 404
permit, the final permit
custommattressco.net
necessary for construction
to begin.
FAA provides a $26 mil-
lion grant for the first phase
of airport construction. The
FAA has pledged at least $
72 million, plus another $7
million available to the
Airport Authority through its
entitlement grants program.
Airport Authority
approves the sale of the ex-
isting airport to a subsidiary
of Leucadia National Cor-
poration (NYSE: LUK) for
$56.5 million in cash and an
estimated $38 million from
transfer fees from the sale of
future properties developed
on the site.
The Transportation
Safety Administration and
the U.S. Navy announced
that the new airport would
serve as a test site for se-
curity innovations made by
the Naval Surface Warfare
Center and implemented by
the Transportation Safety
Administration (TSA).
The U.S. Department of
Transportation awarded a
$575,000 grant to the airport
to help attract a low-cost
carrier to the region and to
help current airlines expand
their service.  The federal
dollars will be matched by
$529,500 in cash and in-kind
contributions from the local
business community.
Airport Authority holds
groundbreaking ceremony;
project’s construction phase
officially begins.
2008
U.S. Federal and District
Courts clear the way for
site preparation to proceed
PLEASE SEE history | 15
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | The News Herald | Page 15

history from page 14 Parking rates at ECP

without restriction, in accor-
dance with all permits.
All clearing was complet-
ed on the 1,330 acres within
Phase I including all impacted
wetlands authorized by fed-
eral and state permits.
More than 1.8 million cubic
yards of material are exca-
vated and redistributed over
the site.
Florida L egislature
awards the Panama City-Bay
County International Airport
an additional $4.5 million in
funding for the purpose of
“operational enhancements.”
These funds are available to
extend the primary runway
from 8,400 feet to 10,000 feet
when necessary permits are
obtained.
The Airport Authority sets
a target opening date for May
2010.
2009
The Airport Authority
comes under scrutiny by the
DEP for erosion control prob-
lems under heavy rain events.
Airport officials sign a consent
order with DEP to solve the
problems and meet DEP per-
mit requirements, and delay
a decision to build a 5,000-foot
asphalt crosswind runway.
Southwest Airlines CEO
Gary Kelly announces that
the nation’s largest domestic
carrier will operate eight non-
stop flights a day from the new
airport. Delta Air Lines and
Delta Connections also will
operate from the new airport.
The Airport Authority votes
Parking rates for the public short-term and long-
to rename the new airport
term parking lots at the new Northwest Florida
Northwest Florida Beaches
Beaches International Airport are as follows:
International Airport. Its call
If you are parking in the short-term lot, the first
letters are ECP.
10 minutes are free. From 11 minutes to 20 minutes
2010
the rate is $1. After 20 minutes, the cost is $1 for each
The Airport Authority
additional 20 minutes, with a daily maximum of $11.
works to resolve problems
For those parking in the long-term lot, the cost struc-
with its state-of-the-art
ture is the same as the short-term lot, but the maximum
stormwater drainage filtra-
daily rate drops to $9. Cash and all major credit cards
tion system to meet DEP
are accepted.
requirements and open on
The secure parking lots, which will be managed by
May 23.
Republic Parking, are in front of the passenger terminal
Airport to hold its grand
building and within easy walking distance to the ticket-
opening May 23 and first
ing counters.
flights will begin.

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Page 16 | The News Herald | Tuesday, May 18, 2010