PANAMA CITY - Bay County voters will get to express their opinion about building a new airport in a nonbinding referendum tentatively set for the March 9 presidential primary election.
County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday for the straw ballot, but they held open the possibility of rolling it back until the August primary for other offices to provide more time for campaigning and ballot preparation.
The airport is a key element in development plans by Florida's largest landowner, the St. Joe Co., which would donate 4,000 acres for the project. Proponents, including Gov. Jeb Bush, envision the airport as a business and job magnet.
Opponents say no replacement is needed for the existing Panama City-Bay County International Airport because it is underused. They also argue that relocating the airport mainly would benefit Jacksonville-based St. Joe, which also owns the land surrounding the site, while costing taxpayers about $200-million.
