LYNN HAVEN — Progress has been made in a mixed-use development that has been years in the making for Lynn Haven Marina Island is a proposed development whose design features a downtown-style center and surrounding residential areas with a similar style to Rosemary or Alys beaches The developer acquired the property in 2017 and has been slowly working to overcome the challenges of the ambitious undertaking which include an updates to the canal system and transportation infrastructure the Lynn Haven City Commission cleared a hurdle for the developer The district allows for flexibility with certain aspects of the project removing some potential uncertainty for the developer There are some caveats: Because of the proximity to an industrial park they will still need to ensure a 60-foot buffer between any homes and industrial activities The project will reportedly take 30 years to complete, with the next step being to draft a development order. Reporter Maggy McGuigan with WMBB reported that drafting the development order would take three months and then construction could begin in the next eight to 12 months Florida State University also has a 40-acre parcel on the site, and the developer said it was committed to working with their plans LYNN HAVEN — Holiday Builders has opened a sales office in Bay County at 2211 Highway 77 The Florida homebuilder is now selling new homes in Panama City and Mexico Beach Holiday Builders was founded in 1983 in Melbourne Florida with operations in markets throughout Florida the new Lynn Haven office will serve as a sales center while Holiday Builders’ model home/sales centers are built New home consultants Scott Pennybaker and Robert Brill will staff the Lynn Haven office. Holiday Builders is building in Salt Creek at Mexico Beach and Lake Merial in Panama City “Salt Creek at Mexico Beach is a 554-acre master-planned community by the St “It is located on the west end of Mexico Beach near U.S Holiday Builders acquired 96 lots and is building homes from the company’s Value Collection.” Homes come with a one-year non-transferable warranty Previous real estate coverage: New townhome community coming to Panama City Beach ”Lake Merial in Panama City is gated community on a 300-acre spring-fed lake,” the release says “Holiday Builders is building Cornerstone Collection on 76 lots in a new phase of this established neighborhood.” The new Holiday Builders sales center in Lynn Haven is open Monday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m For more information, call 448-217-5744 or visit HolidayBuilders.com LYNN HAVEN — City Commissioners voted to raise their city manager's base salary to $166,000 during a meeting Feb. 11 Prior to the raise, Vickie Gainer was the lowest paid city manager in Bay County, with a salary of $152,235, according to previous reporting by the News Herald. Other outlets reported that with cost of living adjustments her salary was closer to $158,000 before the raise This would put her on par with Callaway's city manager Residents at the meeting had mixed opinions on the subject Commissioners discussed some specifics of the new contract such as comp time They came to an agreement that she can receive comp time in place of overtime Commissioners discussed how the current figure was a compromise, previously a 12% raise had been floated. The new rate was only asking for a 5% raise. The salary had been discussed at a previous meeting where the highest suggested salary was $185,000 In 2020, the salary was increased to $140,000 and in 2022 the contract was extended for an additional four-year term the current contract was set to expire in December of 2027 Gainer was appointed into her current position in 2019 but has worked for the city since 2017 LYNN HAVEN ― The city will host its second annual International Food Truck Festival on March 8 The festival will take place at Sharon Sheffield Park from 2 to 7 p.m this event brings diverse flavors from a variety of food trucks to Lynn Haven Lynn Haven will have more than 20 food trucks lined up on Pennsylvania Avenue and 10th Street There will be entertainment on the Sheffield Park stage and yard games set up throughout the grounds for a fun-filled community experience More Food Trucks: From the grill to the festival: 'Rollin Cuban' food truck delivers perfect Cuban sandwiches “We are thrilled to bring back this festival for a second year,” Lynn Haven City Manager Vickie Gainer said in the release “It’s a wonderful opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together and support our talented local vendors and performers We look forward to another amazing event!” Our mission is to uphold the public’s trust in the pursuit of justice and the enforcement of the law. The Office of the State Attorney works to protect the public from those who endanger, threaten, and degrade the security of the community and to protect the personal rights of those we serve...more who was charged with Second-Degree Felony Murder under Florida’s felony murder statute was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading no contest was charged due to his involvement in an apparent drug rip-off style robbery of Savien Craven Prosecutor Peter Overstreet presented testimony at Craven’s February trial that showed a scuffle broke out during the robbery and Griner was stabbed multiple times by Craven Jacob Adam Revis ran and made it about 110 yards with Craven chasing him before tripping and falling in a ditch Craven stabbed Revis to death in the ditch Craven was found guilty of Second-Degree Murder at his February trial and sentenced to 65 years in prison Griner was also sentenced to 5 additional years in prison for Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility following his arrest in the 2021 murder Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered that sentence to be served consecutive Griner was charged with Second-Degree Felony Murder under Florida’s felony murder statute Florida’s felony murder statute punishes individuals who commit certain enumerated felonies where a human being is killed during that felony by a person other than the person engaged in the perpetration of or in the attempt to perpetrate such felony Examples would be two bank robbers who attempt to rob a bank and one of the robbers is shot and killed by a police officer as they try to get away Florida’s laws punish those who commit these dangerous felonies and lives are lost as a result “This case shows the abundant dangers involved in the use and purchase of any illegal narcotic,” Overstreet said “Five families’ lives are changed forever and one life was lost which is why we continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove illegal drugs from our streets and keep them out of the hands of our children.” RELATED NEWS: Craven sentenced to 65 years in Lynn Haven murder RELATED NEWS: Man who strangled friend sentenced t0 40 years Basford thanked the Lynn Haven Police Department for its thorough investigation and the witnesses who came forward to testify For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request do not send electronic mail to this entity contact this office by phone or in writing LYNN HAVEN — The city of Lynn Haven will host its eighth annual Christmas tree lighting event on Dec The event will include live music and feature singer Neysa Wilkins attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets There will be a photo opportunity with Santa Claus and Mrs More holiday events: Parades, concerts and more: Christmas and holiday events in 2024 for Panama City and Bay County “The lighting of the 35-foot Christmas Tree symbolizes the start of all holiday events for City of Lynn Haven residents,” the release says “The holidays are truly the most wonderful time of the year because they bring together our community while in a festive atmosphere,” Lynn Haven Mayor Jesse Nelson said in the release “Our Christmas Tree Lighting is one of our beloved events and I hope the residents of Lynn Haven and surrounding communities come and join us for this merry tradition.” LYNN HAVEN — The city of Lynn Haven is scheduled to join other cities statewide in celebrating Florida Government Week the events will be sponsored by the Florida League of Cities Florida City Government Week is a week-long celebration that raises awareness about the importance of municipal government and its daily impact on residents Thanksgiving 2024: Which restaurants are open on Thanksgiving 2024 in Panama City and Panama City Beach? “Florida City Government Week allows our residents the opportunity to learn more about the city's many services which leads to more knowledgeable citizen participation in the future,” City Manager Vickie Gainer said in the news release “We are excited about this year’s activities and hope to engage the community in our upcoming events.” For more information and updates about Florida Government Week contact communications@cityoflynnhaven.com LYNN HAVEN — The city of Lynn Haven has announced the return of its Fall Concert Series Local and regional artists are slated to serenade the public at the free event series The concerts will take place every Friday between Sept The city encourages attendees to bring blankets and lawn chairs due to limited seating They say there will be food trucks and yard games to keep visitors fed and occupied "We are thrilled to kick off another season of concerts in the park," said Ebonee Burrell Lynn Haven marketing and communications coordinator "These events bring our community together and showcase the amazing talent we have right here in our area Mark your calendars and join us this fall." The concert series is sponsored by Baker Metal Works Flooring Depot and a city partnership with iHeart Media LYNN HAVEN — The board of commissioners for the city of Lynn Haven has unanimously voted to explore the possibility of connecting the city sewer system with Bay County's as opposed to expanding its own wastewater treatment plant The agenda item Tuesday morning was to conduct a feasibility study on including Lynn Haven in the county's wastewater treatment plant expansion "We've had talks with the county about the possibility of us closing our sewer treatment plant and going to their north plant off of (State Road 388) and increasing the capacity at that plant but servicing the whole area," said Commissioner Pat Perno during Tuesday's meeting "The key to that is we lose our sewer system but we gain the retail rights to the area because we'll be the biller." Perno is part of the St Andrew and St Joseph's Bays Estuary Program where he says they discussed the location of the current treatment plant in Lynn Haven The plant sits directly on the bay and next to a city park He mentioned an ongoing vulnerability study that could show the plant being in a less-than-desirable location said that both Lynn Haven and Bay County's plants will need to be expanded eventually and he believes merging the systems would make sense He says it would cost the city about $50 million to expand its current plant The city plans to conduct a rate study to see how combining the systems would affect customers which in turn would then bill the customers In conjunction with the vote for the study the board also voted to pause a design project for the expansion of the city's current wastewater treatment plant PANAMA CITY — Martin Luther King Jr. Day is right around the corner on Monday Here's a look at a special event planned to mark this day: More information will be provided as the MLK holiday comes closer. Are you hosting an MLK event for the holiday weekend? Send information to DCSmith@gannett.com and we will include it in the online version of this article Kaleidoscope Theatre in Lynn Haven is raising the curtain for "Drop Dead!," a non-stop physical comedy that turns the world of theater on its head Written by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore in 1985 gather for a stage production meant to revive their fading careers But as tensions rise during rehearsal and opening night Will the thespians survive the deadly drama One thing is for certain—the show must go on To purchase tickets, go to https://kt-online.vbotickets.com/event/Drop_Dead/124165 "Drop Dead!" is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc., www.concordtheatricals.com In many respects Timothy Coon is an embodiment of Black history – its obstacles and challenges which happened to be a month after Florida seceded from the Union A senior judge who still presides over cases occasionally Coon is also a retired Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel a married man of 48 years and the father of two adult sons was totally segregated in the year of your birth I can't say that as a really young person I was very aware of segregation We just did regular things – played baseball there were the white water fountains and the colored water fountains I worked as a caddy at the local golf course the only golf club in Bay County at the time all the caddies were Black and all the players — doctors But it was a good experience and now I’m a golf fanatic I had a summer job working with a construction company doing road work came up to Panama City and they hired a few local guys We were building bridges or working alongside the roadway out in the country away from the area that I was accustomed to Lunchtime came around and my friend and I decided we’d eat at a nearby roadside park A young white man came up to us and he said but I do remember he had a gun — a pistol — and he pulled it out I guess you might say that was one of the times I became really aware With integration just happening on a more widespread basis I had always wanted to go to college but my parents were not well-off so I decided to try Gulf Coast Junior College in Panama City — now we had integration so I could go there That’s when I really started noticing and feeling the impact of segregation — and integration I was in a little band when we got the word that Dr I had to go to class the next day — held in a huge auditorium There were very few Black students — I might have been the only one in that class And I remember walking in and seeing all those students Shortly after I went on the bench here in Polk County I got an invitation to be a speaker at Martin Luther King Day at Gulf Coast College The president of the college met with me and everyone welcomed me with open arms like A lot of my old high school teachers were there and everybody was just so excited and proud that a young Black man from Lynn Haven was now a judge I got real emotional trying to make that speech Sometimes people can see things in you that you don't necessarily see in yourself This was an all-Black school with all-Black teachers One teacher who comes to mind was my English teacher and gave impetus to the idea that you could do more with your life One of her slogans was “read to live and live to read.” Another was a man who came along my junior or senior year — a minister and also a high school teacher He had been around — I think he'd been a professor at Florida A&M Having the opportunity to meet with him and talk to him and learn from him was very influential From 1968 to 1972 you were an enlisted man in the Air Force In 1968 it was either volunteer for the Air Force or the Navy you were probably on your way to Vietnam pretty quickly I made the conscious decision to try the Air Force and that was a good experience mostly When I graduated from USF in 1975 with a degree in finance There were not a whole lot of jobs available I remember applying and going for a few interviews and the law schools at Florida and Florida State were recruiting Black students to go to law school but that's how I got into it You were the first Black person to become a judge in Polk County What stands out in your memory about that barrier being broken and started practicing with the State Attorney’s Office The few other Black lawyers and I formed our own Black Bar association and one of our main focuses was to try to get a Black judge on the bench I would have thought it would have been Larry Hardaway who was more politically inclined and involved Chiles let it be known that if a Black candidate could get out of the nominating committee along with two others and I was feeling pretty confident I waited something like five or six months and then I got a call from the governor’s counsel who said to me we were very impressed with your application but you need a little more seasoning before we can bring you on Bob Young has been a county judge for years and he's next in line I had started putting my practice to the side thinking I was going to get that appointment So I vowed not to go through that again – I didn't need to be a judge I was pretty active with the local Lakeland Bar and one day I got a call from one of the members of the judicial nominating committee who said there’s an opening coming up and I think you ought to apply “I’m not going through that again,” but then I got another call this time from the president of the Florida Bar who said “You need to apply.” That was very exciting I can do the job as well as any other lawyer One of Martin Luther King’s most famous lines from his “dream” speech was the expressed hope that his children would “one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by content of their character.” He uttered that over 60 years ago I think we probably are moving the other way I think we're starting to kind of pull back instead of being more accepting and open to anybody having opportunity We seem to be going back to that point where no we don't want you to have that opportunity basically.” The current climate is probably more like it was when King started his civil rights movement and certainly is not what we would hope and want it to be but hang in there – keep going.” a prosecutor and had a long legal career culminating in a county judgeship By definition you would seem to be a believer in institutions How much of that is a personality trait and how much an engrained devotion to civic life I think back on my appointment as the first Black judge and I think among the reasons I was selected is that I’m more of a quiet person I think my military background played a part in successfully easing that move toward the bench Q. What do you think the effect is on the rule of law, with the blanket pardons of the January 6 rioters those kinds of things — then for a young Black person or any Black person Are we looking at those times again where you look out your window and they’re marching I don't know if it's going to get that bad or bold again but certainly I think we are kind of leaning that way with the pardons — and the people that were pardoned you play golf two or three times a week — and have for years That’s a lot of opportunities for a hole-in-one I did the whole thing – bought drinks in the clubhouse and got the little plaque from Titleist This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.