BAY COUNTY, Fla. —  Bay County’s economy continues to move in a positive direction since Hurricane Michael as the Tourist Development Council got an update on the numbers from 2018 on Tuesday morning. 

Getting the highest number of visitors after the storm, the reports showed numbers in Panama City Beach are now leveling out after the high post-hurricane spike.

The board eliminated the Hurricane Michael impact to take a good look at the actual numbers and President of the TDC says without taking the storm into account, the trends are still positive.

“Because we really didn’t want to start to count the dollars that are being generated by that false economy that was created by all the storm response. Now that we’re into the month of March and April, we’re seeing more of our leisure travelers coming back to our destination which bodes very well for the summer,” said Dan Rowe.

Rowe says they’re projecting high tourism numbers this summer, continuing with the trend of the past few years.

The board also getting an update of the new Sports Complex. 

The complex features 13 fields and will be used for sports such as baseball, softball, lacrosse, and soccer.  Attendees will also enjoy a boardwalk and multiple vendors. 
During the update, those in charge of getting the complex built said they are in the final stages of construction. 

They say the last field is being turfed, Gulf Power is working on lighting and primary power, light poles are going up and concrete will be poured in the coming weeks. 

The park is scheduled to be for its first event on July 8th. 

To learn more about the complex, click here.