Here I am in Panama City, Florida, in the Florida Panhandle, with Joe, taking a one-month respite from February in Connecticut. We knew that this part of the Panhandle is sometimes called the Redneck Riviera. So I’m noticing many ways in which it is different from my liberal enclave in the blue Nutmeg State. For example:
Demographics. An official Chamber of Commerce publication from Bay County, which is where we are, states that this county is whiter than the rest of the United States, and poorer: the median household income is lower here, and the number of people in poverty is higher. There are fewer people with higher education and more veterans here than in the country as a whole.
I suppose those factors make for a certain amount of political conservatism, and these photos bear out that supposition:
Development. There is far, far more construction here than in Connecticut. I suppose that’s because Florida has a lot of room to expand, and a lot of ocean and sunshine. That’s what people want. So that must mean more construction jobs, and that’s good. But I worry about habitat destruction and degrading of aquifers, among other types of environmental damage.
Some developers think that a condo community sounds classier if the name of the place has an “e” on the end of a word. that doesn’t ordinarily end in an “e”: Paradise Pointe. Baytowne.
Here’s one construction site among dozens:
Many of the already-built new buildings are oceanside condos. They tower over the landscape. Take a look at these beachside behemoths:
In appearance and location, these buildings remind me of the Champlain Towers, in Surfside, Florida, which collapsed in 2021, killing almost 100 people.
Of all the media photos, the most poignant was the one with the white bunk bed.
The media reports I read stated that the collapse was due to Florida’s lax enforcement of building codes. I guess if development is a big priority, and government control is not favored, that’s how buildings collapse.
Chain stores. There are so, so many of them here! Mom and pop stores are in the minority. We have chain stores in Connecticut too: WalMart, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc. All those chains have a presence here. But there are others we don’t see up north: WhatABurger, Alvin’s Island Tropical Department Store, Waffle House.
Weather. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the weather. After all, that’s why we’re here. The temperature is in the low 70’s. I have put away my fingerless gloves and long underwear camisole tops for the duration. And that’s a good thing.