Greetings from Station Panama City, Fla

Coast Guard Magazine, Jan, 2005 by Francisco Gonzalez

Coast Guard Station Panama City is located adjacent to the Naval Support Activity in the resort community of Panama City Beach, Fla. It was originally established in 1933 at St. Andrews Marina and was later moved to Alligator Bayou, located on the western shore of St. Andrew Bay, in October 1971. The present Coast Guard station was dedicated in November 1990.

Station Panama City is the host command for five other tenant commands, including the CGC Coho, an Aids to Navigation team, a Marine Safety Field Office, an Electronic Support Detachment, and also Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 19, who has a trailer where meetings and training are conducted.

The station currently has two 41-foot utility boats, two 23-foot SAFE boats, and one 25-foot RBS that carry out our search and rescue, law enforcement and environmental protection missions. The station conducts approximately 300 boardings a year. The search and rescue missions vary year to year, averaging about 200. Station Panama City also is the order-issuing authority to seven Auxiliary flotillas.

Station Panama City has one of the largest areas of responsibility in the continental United States. The station's area of responsibility extends 30 miles offshore and covers 647 nautical miles of coastline. The station also consists of 3,900 square miles of international offshore waters, 107.5 statute miles of intercoastal waters, the Apalachicola River north to Georgia, along with two time zones and nine Florida counties. Due to the vast amount of responsibility, a search and rescue detachment, or "pooled station small," was established in Carrabelle, Fla., to speed up the response time in the eastern AOR.

Coast Guard Station Panama City has turned into an award-winning station. The station won the Galley of the Year Award for small boat stations ashore in 2003 for the first time ever. It also won first place honors in the 2003 Commander Jim Simpson Award for public affairs. Some of the crew from Station Panama City, along with the Aids to Navigation team, won first place in the Group Mobile Captain's Cup Softball Tournament last year. Last but not least, the station also took first place in the final Group Mobile Captain's Cup Golf Tournament for 2004.

Panama City has a little bit of everything. The climate is great for playing in the sun during the summer, partying all day and night during the spring, or just relaxing during the winter. There are plenty of activities, such as scuba diving, swimming, dancing, dining, shopping, festivals, tours and much more.

Coast Guard Station Panama City has served the public with excellence for seven decades, and will continue to provide the public with the best "Guardians of the Forgotten Coast."

Please visit our website for current news, area information and photo galleries at:

http://www.uscg.mil/d8/StationPanamaCity/StaPC_home.htm

Check out Coast Guard career opportunities! Call 877-NOW USCG

RELATED ARTICLE

Housing

Rental homes off the beach average about $800-1000 per month. On the beach, rentals run upwards of $1000. Houses cost upwards of $80,000.

Education

Gulf Coast Community College and Florida State University, Panama City, are widely used by active duty members and their families.

Facilities

The station is next to a Naval Support Activity base, which has medical and dental facilities, a gym, an exchange and more.

Weather

Summer temperatures range from low 70's to high 90's with high humidity, whereas winter average lows are about 51 degrees with highs in the 60's.

Story by SN Francisco Gonzalez, Station Panama City