Callaway and Parker seawall planning on East Bay

Get to know your waterfront

Callaway and Parker share the shore of East Bay. Much of Callaway's housing lines East Bay and Callaway Bayou, while Parker fronts East Bay and Martin Lake, with Parker Bayou and Pitts Bayou close by. Water makes up about a fifth of Parker's area, the most of any East Bay city. Hurricane Michael's eye crossed here in 2018, and a storm chaser measured 923 millibars inside it in Callaway.

GNIS Domestic Names - Florida (DomesticNames_FL.txt) · Flood Plain Management · Parker City Parks and Boat Ramp (ArcGIS map tour linked from cityofparker.com Parks & Ramps) · Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Michael (AL142018)

Callaway, Parker or county? Sorting the 32404 addresses

Your envelope will not tell you. All 8,809 addresses in Callaway and all 2,835 in Parker use the mailing name Panama City and ZIP 32404. Another 17,453 unincorporated county addresses also use the Panama City name. Bay County address points

The tax district on the Property Appraiser record is a faster tell. A building department directory published by Panama City Beach maps district 2 to Callaway, 10 to Parker and 55 or 56 to unincorporated Bay County. Building department directory

Table sources: Callaway building services Callaway floodplain page Parker City Hall Parker dock form FEMA CRS list Bay County LMS

Parker puts docks to a City Council vote

Parker's shoreline dock form, revised October 21, 2021, sends every dock to the City Council. Parker dock permit form

• Pay a $250 review fee, which is not refunded.
• Give the city your DEP and Army Corps permits before it issues its own.
• The owner or the contractor attends the meeting to explain the work.
• On lots under 65 feet wide, center the dock.
• Finish within one year. No living quarters or live-aboard construction.

Ask City Hall at (850) 871-4104 whether a seawall follows the same council route before you set a schedule. Parker City Hall

Callaway splits the work between two offices

Callaway contracts building services to EP Consultants, Inc. (EPCI), which takes applications, reviews plans, issues permits and inspects. Callaway building services Flood zone, Coastal High Hazard Area and evacuation zone questions go to the city's Planning Department. Callaway floodplain page

Ask Planning which shoreline and flood rules apply to your lot today, and whether rock is expected at the toe of a replacement wall. Price toe protection in the quote either way.

Michael's eye crossed these bayous

NHC lists a pressure of 923.2 millibars measured in Callaway, in the northwest part of Michael's eye, and calls the damage across the eastern Panama City metro extensive. NHC Michael report The report gives no Callaway surge height.

A wall that is still standing can hide damage below the waterline. Before a sale or refinance, ask the assessor to probe the toe and check the tiebacks (rods that anchor the wall into the yard). The assessment guide lists what to request.

Public waterfront projects in both cities

• FEMA's Michael worksheet 756 for Parker's Cedar Avenue seawall and stairs totals about $92,000 and is closed out. OpenFEMA DR-4399
• DEP's 2026-27 resilience plan ranks Parker's East Bay Sewer Relocation 110th, at about $3.9 million. A ranking is not funding. DEP resilience plan
• Callaway's Berthe Spillway Replacement, about $2.9 million with a 50% cost share, ranks 116th in DEP's 2025-26 plan. DEP resilience plan
• John B. Gore Park has a two-lane ramp with floating docks on Callaway Bayou. Earl Gilbert Park, finished in 1970 at Parker's southern tip, has a ramp straight onto East Bay. Callaway park page Parker park guide

For the state and federal steps, read the permit guide and the Bay County guide. Farther east, Sandy Creek and Allanton follow county shoreline rules.

What could the work cost?

FEMA's closed-out worksheet for Parker's Cedar Avenue seawall and stairs came to about $92,000, but it gives no length or wall type, so it is no per-foot guide. Ask bidders to price toe rock on its own line and to separate any dock work that needs a Parker council vote.

No public record found in Bay or Gulf County shows what a private homeowner paid per foot for a seawall. This guide shows real public bids, FEMA worksheets and fee schedules instead, each with its year, place and scope.

Find the relevant permits and records

Prepare the questions for the responsible office.

East Bay homeowner checklist for Callaway and Parker

These checks prevent a trip to the wrong office or a surprise at closing.

1. Read the tax district

   Look up the parcel with the Bay County Property Appraiser. District 2 is Callaway, 10 is Parker, and 55 or 56 is the unincorporated county.

   Building Departments (reference list) · Bay County Property Appraiser

2. Ask EPCI for the permit history

   EPCI lists no online permit search for these cities, so request the wall's permit record from EPCI or the city in writing.

   EPCI Code Administration Services

3. Get state and federal permits before Parker's meeting

   Parker will not issue a dock permit until it has your DEP and Army Corps permits.

   City of Parker Shoreline Dock permit conditions

4. Look below the cap after Michael

   Michael's eye crossed Callaway. Ask the assessor to probe the toe and look for tieback movement, not just cracks in the cap (the concrete beam along the top).

   Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Michael (AL142018)

5. Price flood insurance on the real CRS class

   FEMA lists Callaway at 15% off and Parker at no discount. Ask your agent which class the quote uses.

   Community Status Book Report: Florida, Communities Participating in the National Flood Program (report date 10/28/2026)

Keep planning

Nearby waterfront guides

Sandy Creek, Allanton & East Bay, Mexico Beach, Downtown Panama City, Massalina & Watson Bayous

View the local guide directory.