Hurricane Isaias damage in Panama City Beach: a 5.59 ft surge

What the stations reported

• At 5.59 ft, Isaias brought the second largest storm surge on record to Panama City Beach; only Hurricane Opal was higher. Source: WJHG News 7
• Bay County issued a voluntary evacuation order for Zones A and B, and Panama City Beach declared a state of emergency. Source: WJHG News 7
• Panama City Beach Fire Rescue asked people to stay off the roads shortly before midnight, as crews assessed damage across the Panhandle. Source: WMBB

I found no reporting of specific roof losses in Panama City Beach, and I do not claim any.

What do Panama City Beach homeowners need to know about debris, permits and help in Bay County after Isaias?

Bay County is handling debris differently from the counties west of it, and the difference is worth knowing before you drag a pile to the road. These notes are for homeowners documenting their own damage. I do not contract or repair in Florida or Alabama. I do not offer insurance help. These are the Bay County facts I could confirm after Isaias.

In unincorporated Bay County there is no curbside debris pickup. Instead, county officials, as reported by WJHG, are offering free residential storm debris disposal at the Steelfield Landfill, 11411 Landfill Road in West Bay, off State 79, daily through Sunday, October 18, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You must show Bay County residency with a driver’s license, utility bill, or voter registration card, and Solid Waste Management’s number is (850) 236-2212. Source: WJHG Separately, the county’s own site lists Waste Amnesty Days for October 16 and 17, posted September 24, before the storm. Source: Bay County The dates overlap but are not the same program, so call before loading a truck. I did not find a separate rule for debris inside Panama City Beach city limits.

If you haul debris yourself, photograph it in your yard and again in the truck bed. Once it hits the landfill, nobody can reconstruct what it was.

Bay County’s emergency page carries a "Hurricane Isaias Emergency Information" banner, but I could not read the activation page itself. The county’s main line is 850-248-8140. Source: Bay County The county also asks residents to fill out its residential damage assessment form, posted October 10; the notice does not name the storm. Source: Bay County

Permits are an open question. The city’s own permitting guide is in a search index, but its site blocked me, so I cannot tell you what it says about emergency repairs or fee waivers. Call the city’s building department and the county, and write down the name and date of whoever answers.

For insurance, the state’s hubs listed in its releases are in Destin and at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, not in Bay County. Source: Florida Division of Emergency Management The Department of Financial Services help line is 1-877-693-5236, which works from anywhere. The state also lists a Convoy of Hope gift-card stabilization center in Bay County. Source: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Operation Blue Roof does not appear to be active for Isaias. Source: FEMA

Verify any contractor at MyFloridaLicense.com, and report price gouging at 1-866-966-7226. Source: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Wind or water: the causation problem

After a surge, a building often shows two stories at once. Water leaves its own signature low on a structure: a line, silt, scour, wet drywall at the baseboards. Wind leaves its signature high: edges, ridges, soffits, and anything an opening let rain into.

In a dispute, that split is a technical question about the building, decided on evidence. The evidence is heights, patterns, the condition of what did not fail. Attorneys can read how I work at expert witness; the physical difference is set out at building damage.

Along Front Beach Road and Thomas Drive

Hotels and condominiums along Front Beach Road, the shops near Pier Park, and the rental properties on Thomas Drive and around Laketown have tall walls, many balconies and flat roofs. Wind-driven rain gets in at balcony doors, window walls and rooftop equipment curbs without any visible tear.

Owners and managers of commercial properties can read about first-hour documentation, which records the building’s condition from the start.

Permits and code in Panama City Beach

State rules come first, then what the local permit office publishes.

• Code edition

  The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), has been in effect since December 31, 2023 (as of October 16, 2026). Source: Florida Building Commission

• 25 percent exception (roofs built to the 2007 code or later)

  Under s. 553.844(5), if an existing roof or roof section was built, repaired, or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, and 25 percent or more of it is repaired, replaced, or recovered, only that repaired, replaced, or recovered portion must meet the code in effect, as applicable. Source: Florida Statutes (2026), s. 553.844

• Roof replacement upgrades

  s. 553.844(3) directs the Florida Building Commission to require that a roof replacement on a site-built single-family home incorporate secondary water barriers and strengthening or correcting of roof-decking attachments and fasteners. In the wind-borne debris region (as defined in s. 1609.2 of the International Building Code (2006)), the same applies to roof-to-wall connections for a home with an insured value of $300,000 or more or, if the building is uninsured or no documentation of insured value is presented, a just valuation for the structure of $300,000 or more for ad valorem taxation. s. 553.844(2)(b)3. adds: "Roof-to-wall connections shall not be required unless evaluation and installation of connections at gable ends or all corners can be completed for 15 percent of the cost of roof replacement." Source: Florida Statutes (2026), s. 553.844

• Product approval

  s. 553.842 lists roofing among the product categories covered by Florida Product Approval. Source: Florida Legislature, s. 553.842

• Permit requirement

  The City of Panama City Beach’s Building FAQ (checked Oct 16, 2026) cites Florida Building Code section 105.1: an owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure must first apply to the building official and obtain the required permit. It adds that section 105.2 states what is exempt from permitting. Source: City of Panama City Beach, Building FAQ

• Permit validity

  The City of Panama City Beach’s Building FAQ (checked Oct 16, 2026) says: "Permits are valid for 180 days (6 months) from the last approved inspection." Source: City of Panama City Beach, Building FAQ

• Roof permit

  The City of Panama City Beach’s Permitting & Emergency Information Guide (dated May 2026) lists "Roof replacement or reroofing beyond exempt maintenance" under repairs that generally require a permit, with the permit type given as a roof permit and current adopted fee schedules used unless a storm-specific waiver or reduction is separately approved. Source: City of Panama City Beach, Permitting & Emergency Information Guide (May 2026)

• Temporary tarping

  The same city guide (dated May 2026) lists temporary roof tarping or temporary weatherproofing among repairs that generally do not require a permit, and says: "Temporary protective measures are not the same as permanent roof repairs or reroofing." It also says permanent repairs generally require permits unless exempt. Source: City of Panama City Beach, Permitting & Emergency Information Guide (May 2026)

Confirm with the City of Panama City Beach Building & Planning Department before work starts, and check permits on the city’s Permit and Inspection Search page. Source: City of Panama City Beach The city’s building forms page notes that not all properties on the Beach are inside the city’s incorporated areas, so check which office covers the address. Source: City of Panama City Beach building forms

Across the bay: St. Andrews and Shell Island

The same storm reaches the St. Andrews Historic District in Panama City, the homes near St. Andrews State Park and Camp Helen State Park, and the properties facing Shell Island. Older wood-frame houses, and homes close to the bay edge, deserve attention to foundations, floors and lower walls as well as roofs.

• Front Beach Road
• Thomas Drive
• Pier Park area
• Laketown
• Hathaway Bridge area
• St. Andrews Historic District
• St. Andrews State Park area
• Camp Helen State Park area
• Shell Island waterfront

Safety first, always

For commercial owners in Florida I document damage, and in disputes I give technical opinions. Coverage questions go to your insurer, the Florida Department of Financial Services consumer helpline, or an attorney. I am not an attorney.

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