CivicPlus Community Impact Award Winner: City of Panama City, Florida

In Panama City, still rebuilding years after Hurricane Michael, residents were often finding out about their own community secondhand, through social media algorithms or the local news, rather than from the City itself. That left room for delay, mixed messages, and residents who felt like an afterthought in their own city’s recovery and growth. Panama City set out to become its own most trusted source by creating a monthly newsletter, redesigning its website for easier accessibility to city information, and implementing a mass notification system which now lets residents choose what they hear about and when, whether that’s a road closure on their block or a citywide alert. The results moved fast. Since launch, the City’s mass notification system has delivered more than 400,000 text messages, and website traffic has grown sharply year over year, with new users up 40 percent and total sessions up 37 percent.   

“Residents need one trusted, official source for timely, accurate information,” said City of Panama City Manager Jonathan Hayes. “We’re making the City’s website a hub for information and using digital tools to keep residents informed and make information more accessible to build better trust in local government.”