Press Releases

PANAMA CITY, FL: Congressman Neal Dunn applauded the decision by the General Services Administration (GSA) to keep a federal courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Panama City. The current federal courthouse in Bay County is expected to close when its lease expires on December 31, 2018. GSA selected the proposal put forth by the Bay County Chamber of Commerce Task Force, which will convert the Bay County Juvenile Justice Courthouse located at 533 E. 11th Street in Panama City into a federal courthouse. This will provide Bay County with approximately $1.06 million in additional revenue annually.

“Today is a great day for the Second District of Florida. We have been working for over a year to keep a federal courthouse serving the six counties between Pensacola and Panama City in the area. I am pleased that GSA chose a financially responsible way to serve Northwest Florida, while saving the court system money,” said Dr. Dunn.

“When we set out to help find a new home for the U.S. Courts in Panama City, our goal was to ensure both the security and workspace needs of the judiciary were met while remaining fiscally responsible to taxpayers,” said Mike Goodwin, regional commissioner for GSA’s Public Buildings Service.

In 2017, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce Task Force submitted a proposal to the General Services Administration (GSA) to convert the Bay County Juvenile Justice Courthouse into a federal courthouse. Dr. Dunn has been working with GSA, the U.S. Courts, and local stakeholders to keep the federal courthouse open. In March 2017, he sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting language that directs GSA and U.S. Courts to collaborate with local stakeholders in Bay County to prevent closure of the federal courthouse in Panama City.

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