Panama City knows what a Category 5 does to a city. The National Hurricane Center places Hurricane Michael's landfall near Tyndall Air Force Base, just southeast of Panama City, on October 10, 2018, the strongest landfall of record in the Florida Panhandle. Bay County came out of it with more than 45,000 structures damaged and more than 1,500 destroyed, including severe damage to two hospitals, and 4 to 6 feet of storm surge around Panama City and St. Andrew Bay.
The insurance side of that recovery was just as long. Nine months after landfall, Florida regulators still counted more than 15,000 open Michael claims in Bay County, and the city was still driving the first new piles for the St. Andrews Marina rebuild in 2024. Coyne Commercial Group represents commercial property owners, condominium associations, HOAs, and homeowners in Panama City, with a focus on the larger, more complicated commercial and association claims that tend to take the longest to resolve.
What Panama City property owners have been through.
Hurricane Michael
Michael came ashore near Tyndall Air Force Base as a Category 5. The NOS tide gauge at Panama City measured 5.3 feet above mean higher high water, the station logged a 104-knot gust before its record went incomplete, and the NHC reported extensive wind and surge damage across the eastern Panama City metro area, with more than 45,000 structures damaged in Bay County.
St. Andrews Marina, still rebuilding
The City of Panama City began driving piles for the St. Andrews Marina rebuild in October 2024. In February 2026 commissioners moved bulkhead reconstruction forward from its 2031 schedule because sections were already collapsing, and in June 2026 they approved the construction contract, an illustration of how long major storm recovery can run.
Hurricane Opal
Opal's landfall was well to the west, but NOAA still counted Bay County among the five Florida counties hardest hit by the storm.
Panama City is Bay County's seat and its commercial center: a downtown business district, the historic St. Andrews waterfront on St. Andrew Bay, hospitals and medical offices, retail and office corridors, and residential neighborhoods running north toward Lynn Haven, which recorded 11.62 inches of rain during Michael. Much of the city fronts protected bay water rather than the open Gulf, so its surge risk comes from water pushed up into St. Andrew Bay and its bayous rather than from Gulf waves.
NHC described Michael's damage here as less severe than at Mexico Beach and Tyndall but extensive across the eastern Panama City metro area. On a building stock that mixes homes, commercial buildings, and medical and institutional property, the same storm can produce very different claims on neighboring parcels, which is why a claim built on a quick drive-by estimate is rarely the full picture.
Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation tracked Michael claims through 2019. As of July 26, 2019, Bay County had 88,830 claims on file; 64,743 had closed with payment, 8,948 had closed without payment, and 15,139 were still open. Statewide, commercial property claims were only 62.4 percent closed and business interruption claims 62.9 percent closed, both well behind homeowner claims at 83.4 percent.
For a Panama City commercial owner or association board, the lesson from those numbers is to expect a long claim and build for it. Statewide, Citizens Property Insurance policy counts have dropped to their lowest level since 2019 as private carriers return to Florida, which means many policyholders now have a carrier whose claims process they have not seen in a major event.
What is different about repairing damage in Panama City.
Insurance policies are statewide. The rules that govern the repair are not. These are the local requirements that change what a Panama City property owner can do, and what a claim has to cover.
Panama City counts two flood losses in ten years toward substantial damage
Ordinance No. 3076, effective January 1, 2023, defines substantial damage as damage of any origin where restoring the building to its pre-damage condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of its market value before the damage. It also counts flood-related damage on two separate occasions within ten years when repairs average 25 percent or more of market value per event. Once a structure is substantially damaged, any repairs are considered a substantial improvement regardless of the actual work performed.
City of Panama City, Ordinance No. 3076 (Chapter 9, Flood Damage Prevention)Market value excludes land and can be set three ways
The same ordinance defines market value as the value of the building only, excluding land and other site improvements, and allows it to be established by a qualified independent appraiser, by actual cash value, or by the tax assessment value adjusted with a factor from the property appraiser. The ordinance also describes a ten-year cumulative look-back for improvements; Florida SB 180 (2025) restricts cumulative look-back periods, so confirm how the city currently applies it before a repair is permitted.
City of Panama City, Ordinance No. 3076Check with the Planning Department and EPCI before you build
Panama City asks owners to confirm floodplain ordinance requirements with the City Planning Department at 850-872-3025 and building permit requirements with EPCI at 850-818-0213. Properties outside city limits are handled by Bay County, where a substantial damage determination from the county's certified floodplain manager may be required for structures in a flood zone.
City of Panama City, Flood Protection InformationGeneral information only, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Coverage depends on your specific policy, the facts of your loss, and current Florida law.
Who we represent in Panama City.
Homeowners
Hurricane, wind, water, mold, and fire claims on Panama City homes, documented and pursued for full value.
Residential claims →Associations, Boards & Operators
Master-policy, common-element, and large-loss commercial claims for Panama City condominiums, HOAs, and multifamily operators.
Commercial claims →Claim types we handle in Panama City.
Claim guides for Panama City property owners
Plain-English answers from a Florida licensed public adjuster on the claim questions Panama City homeowners, boards, and commercial owners ask most.
What a Milestone Inspection Report Means for Insurance
A milestone inspection report is not just a building safety checkbox. Here is how it can shape your premium, your renewal, and your next storm claim.
Read the guide →Insurance Check Made Out to Mortgage Company FL | CCG
Your insurance claim check in Florida often has to go through your mortgage company first. Here is why that happens, what Florida law actually allows the lender to keep, and how to keep repairs moving on a large or commercial loss.
Read the guide →Flood vs Wind Coverage Gap for FL Associations | CCG
Wind and flood damage after a hurricane fall under two different policies, and the gap between them can leave associations covering costs no one budgeted for. Here's what boards need to know before the next storm.
Read the guide →Can You Cancel a Public Adjuster Contract in Florida? | CCG
Florida law gives you a 10-day window (30 days after a declared emergency) to cancel a public adjuster contract with no penalty, plus a second right if your estimate is late.
Read the guide →Hurricane Isaias insurance claims/Wind vs. flood damage in a hurricane claim/Business interruption claims/All claim guides/Public adjuster FAQ
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