St. Andrews seawall and bulkhead planning
St. Andrews seawall repair runs through the City of Panama City, which wants a development order before it reviews a building permit. The city's own marina rebuild shows what an aging bayfront bulkhead costs and why condition records matter.
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Historic St. Andrews at a glance
- Who permits it
- City of Panama City: a development order from Planning and Zoning, then a building permit
- Call first
- Panama City Planning and Zoning, (850) 691-4595
- The water
- St. Andrew Bay around Buena Vista Point, with Lake Huntington and Lake Ware close by
- Local rule to know
- Building Services reviews the permit only after the development order is issued, and everything is filed on Cloudpermit.
Get to know your waterfront
Historic St. Andrews sits on St. Andrew Bay around Buena Vista Point, with Lake Huntington and Lake Ware close by. The neighborhood has been a Panama City redevelopment area since 1989, and permits come from city offices on Harrison Avenue, not the county. St. Andrews Marina is man-made land filled behind bulkheads around 1958, and its failing wall is now being rebuilt in public view.
GNIS Domestic Names - Florida (DomesticNames_FL.txt) · St. Andrews CRA · Building Services · Letter re Cost-Plus Contract for Bulkhead Repairs, St. Andrews Marina (Feb. 2, 2026), with Exhibit A lease excerpt
What the St. Andrews Marina rebuild teaches a bayfront owner
The city's marina project puts an old St. Andrews bulkhead replacement on the public record. Read it for method, cost behavior and storm-claim lessons, then apply the city's two-step permit path to your own lot.
Panama City wants a development order first
- Planning and Zoning issues a development order, and it lists docks, seawalls and marinas among the projects it reviews. Planning and Zoning page
- Building Services reviews the permit only after that order is issued. Everything is filed through the Cloudpermit portal; paper and emailed plans are not accepted. Building process page
- Dock applications must include proof of state and federal permits or exemptions. Dock applicant guide
Residential permits cost $4.10 per $1,000 of city valuation with a $40 minimum, plus plan review and state surcharges. 2026 fee schedule The permit guide covers the state and federal steps.
A marina built on fill, held by a wall
Almost all of St. Andrews Marina is man-made land, created around 1958 by filling part of the bay behind a line of seawalls and bulkheads. City consultants found storm damage plus decades of corrosion and erosion, and gave the wall about seven years of useful life, to 2031. Marina ground lease Michael took out most of the wet slips and caused major structural damage to the bulkheads. Public Works memo
How the new marina bulkhead goes in
The new wall is going in around the old one rather than replacing it in place. Cost-control memo
- Steel sheet piles in 25-, 30- and 50-foot sections are driven in front of the existing bulkhead.
- Walers (horizontal beams) and tie rods connect them to deadman piles, 18-inch square prestressed concrete anchors set back from the wall.
- Flowable fill, a fluid concrete-like backfill, fills the gap between the new and old walls.
- A concrete cap, railing and fender system finish the top and the face.
Older bayfront lots may suit the same approach, but a private wall needs its own engineering. Ask your engineer for the tieback and drainage details, and read the tiebacks and anchors guide before that meeting.
What the public numbers show
These are commercial marina figures, far heavier than a home seawall. Use them to see how costs move, not as a price for your lot. Pricing table February 2026 memo Cost-control memo
| Item | Figure | Record |
|---|---|---|
Steel sheet pile wall, 2,644 linear feet, 2024 budget | About $7.9 million, roughly $3,000 per foot | June 2026 packet |
Same wall, 2026 proposed contractor cost | About $9.9 million, roughly $3,700 per foot | June 2026 packet |
Whole upland and bulkhead project | About $12.9 million in 2024; $15.2 million by February 2026 | February 2026 memo |
Contractor fee | Up to 20% on top, under a cost-plus contract | June 2026 memo |
The estimate rose once full plans existed: the old deck had to be replaced, steel, concrete and labor prices climbed, and scope was added. Public Works memo A private quote can move the same way when drawings are unfinished. The cost guide shows how to compare bids.
Why FEMA paid less than the city asked
The city received roughly $5 million in FEMA money for the marina, less than it claimed, because FEMA cited deferred maintenance and wear that the storm did not cause. Public Works memo Dated condition records are what separate storm damage from old wear. Take photos and video of your wall before each storm season, and keep every repair receipt. NFIP documentation guidance The seawall insurance guide explains what flood policies leave out.
Storm exemptions run out
The marina work is moving under a post-disaster exemption from a formal permit. That exemption ends in late July 2027, and losing it would add at least 18 months for full DEP and Corps permits. Cost-control memo If you are still fixing Michael or Sally damage, ask DEP whether any storm-repair window still applies to your wall.
The marina's address on W. 10th Street maps in FEMA zone VE, the wave-hazard flood zone, with a base flood elevation of 11 feet NAVD88, the national survey datum. County flood layer Zones change lot by lot, so check yours on the city's Forerunner flood site. City flood page
St. Andrews takeaway: photograph the wall every spring, start the development order early, and insist on finished drawings before you accept a price. Owners east along the bay can compare notes in the downtown Panama City and bayous guide, and the Bay County guide lists every permit office.
What could the work cost?
Ask St. Andrews bidders to price the wall separately from the work behind it: cap, railing, backfill, paving and utility repairs. Also ask what happens to the price if the permits take longer than planned.
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.
Compare quotes and plan a budget →Find the relevant permits and records
| Starting point | What to resolve | Prepare and look up |
|---|---|---|
Panama City Planning and Zoning Division | Development order for docks, seawalls and marinas before any building review. | Sealed survey, site plan and proof of state and federal approvals. Application status and fees: (850) 691-4595. |
Panama City Building Services | Building permit under the 2023 Florida Building Code, filed on Cloudpermit. | The issued development order and engineered drawings. 501 Harrison Ave.; (850) 872-3025. |
DEP Northwest District, Panama City Branch | Exemption verification or permit, and use of state-owned bay bottom. | Location of the new face relative to the old one. Exemption verification fee: $100. (850) 872-4375. |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Panama City Permits Section | Federal authorization for work in St. Andrew Bay. | A copy of the state file and drawings. (850) 763-0717. |
Records to gather for an older St. Andrews wall
Older bayfront walls reward good paperwork. Collect these before an engineer visits.
Date-stamp the wall's condition
Photograph and video the cap, face and backfill before storm season, and keep receipts for every repair.
Document flood damage · Memo: Revised Estimate of Probable Cost for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews Marina
Pull your flood profile
The city's Forerunner site shows your flood zone, base flood elevation and any compliance warnings, and takes elevation certificate requests.
Ask whether a wrap-in-front design fits
A new wall set no more than 18 inches out in front of the old one may qualify for the state repair exemption. Ask the engineer to compare that with full removal.
2026 Florida Statutes section 403.813 · Memo: Cost Control Safeguards for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews Marina
Plan around the marina schedule
Near the marina, expect sheet-pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m., with no weekend work, starting by the Harbour Village condos and moving clockwise.
Memo: Revised Estimate of Probable Cost for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews Marina
Start your St. Andrews seawall plan
Tell us the street, the wall's age if you know it and what you noticed after recent storms. We will help you line up the city steps and find a marine contractor for bayfront work.
Built on Bay and Gulf County permit rules, public records and storm data.
Historic St. Andrews project questions
Is the St. Andrews Marina rebuild paid for by FEMA?
Not mainly. City staff say FEMA paid about $5 million, less than claimed, and the commission moved that money to other projects. The upland and bulkhead work is paid from the city's post-Michael line of credit.
Memo: Revised Estimate of Probable Cost for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews Marina
Do I need a development order just to repair my seawall?
Possibly. Planning and Zoning lists seawalls among the projects it reviews, and Building Services will not review a permit without an issued development order. Ask Planning whether your repair scope needs one.
Does my flood policy cover the seawall?
Usually not. The federal flood policy excludes seawalls and bulkheads, with a possible exception when a wall directly supports the insured building's foundation.
FEMA Standard Flood Insurance Policy Commentary, January 2025 update
What is happening with the Bayview Boardwalk?
The wooden boardwalk along Bayview Avenue was damaged by Hurricane Sally in 2020. The CRA plans to rebuild it and extend it 20 feet out over the bay, with a $1.5 million CRA contribution.
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Downtown Panama City, Massalina & Watson Bayous, Pretty Bayou & Robinson Bayou, Grand Lagoon, Thomas Drive & Bay Point
Show sourcesHide sources
- GNIS Domestic Names - Florida (DomesticNames_FL.txt)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- St. Andrews CRASource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building ServicesSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Letter re Cost-Plus Contract for Bulkhead Repairs, St. Andrews Marina (Feb. 2, 2026), with Exhibit A lease excerptSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Planning & Zoning | Panama City, FLSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building ProcessSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Dock and Boat Structure Applicant's Development GuideSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Permit Fee Schedule & Valuation Guide, 2026 Public ReferenceSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Memo: Revised Estimate of Probable Cost for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews MarinaSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Memo: Cost Control Safeguards for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews MarinaSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- City Commission agenda packet June 23, 2026, item 12.a (Cost Plus Contract for St. Andrews Marina; A103-2017 contract exhibits; Cost Control memo 6/16/2026)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Memo: Revised Estimate of Probable Cost for the Upland Reconstruction of the St. Andrews Marina (2/2/2026), City Commission packet Feb 10, 2026 item 11.aSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Document flood damageSource reviewed 2026-10-23
- BayView map service, flood zone layer (11); evacuation zone layer (15); CRA layer (20)Source reviewed 2026-10-28
- Check Your Property Flood ZoneSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Building Services | Panama City, FLSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- Northwest District | Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- 62-4.050 Procedure to Obtain Permits and Other Authorizations; ApplicationsSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- 2026 Florida Statutes section 403.813Source reviewed 2026-10-27
- Jacksonville District Regulatory Office LocationsSource reviewed 2026-10-28
- USACE South Atlantic Division Florida regulatory guidanceSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- FEMA Standard Flood Insurance Policy Commentary, January 2025 updateSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Panama City CRA Current ProjectsSource reviewed 2026-10-28