Bay County | US Courthouses

Bay County is named for the St. Andrews Bay which lies along the southern boundary of the county.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Washington County and Jackson County

E – Calhoun County and Gulf County

S – Gulf of Mexico

W – Walton County

Created: April 24, 1913

County Seat:

Panama City 1913 – present

County Courthouse – Panama City

Location: 300 East 4th Street / Mackenzie Avenue

Built: 1914 – 1915

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: S J Welch

Contractor: Dobson and Oliver

Description: The building faces north and is a three story yellow colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Panama City. The north front has a large portico supported by four large white colored columns which rise to a header at the top of the third story. There is stone trim around the entrance. Along the west side are large arched windows on the second story with a hipped red colored roof above. In the interior the hallway runs north-south. The large courtroom is located on the second story and has pale green colored walls and seats for about one hundred and fifty people. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 14th Judicial Circuit and County Court. The building burned in 1920 and was repaired. In 1978 the building was remodeled and expanded. The architect was Bayne Collins AIA and the Contractor was Hobbs Construction & Development Inc. In 2014 to 2016 a large three story addition was constructed along the east side. In the interior a high atrium running east-west has an ascending staircase and glass walls. The addition houses a number of County Circuit Court courtrooms. The architect was VBA Design Inc. and Dag Architects and the contractor was W G Yates & Son Construction Company.

Note: A new Juvenile Justice Center is being constructed in 2023 on the west side of the courthouse and will be merged into the courthouse complex. The architect is JRA Architects Inc. of Tallahassee and the contractor is Culpepper Construction Company of Tallahassee. The cost is $12,990,000. The former Juvenile Justice Courthouse on 11th Street is being sold after the building was damaged by Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

See: The 14th Judicial Circuit includes Calhoun County, Gulf County, Holmes County, Jackson County and Washington County.

See: The county is located in the First Judicial District of the Court of Appeal – First Judicial District located in Tallahassee.

History: The county was created in 1913 and Panama City was selected as the county seat. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1914 to 1915. The courthouse was damage by fire in 1920 and was repaired. The County Government Center was constructed in 2008 to 2010 at a cost of $21,000,000.

County Government Center – Panama City

Location: 8450 West 11th Street / Wood Avenue

Built: 2008 – 2010

Style: Modern

Architect: JRA Architects, Inc. of Tallahassee

Contractor: Peter Brown Construction, Inc. of Tallahassee.

Description: The building faces east and is a three story yellow colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the north of the center of Panama City. The “V’ shaped building has columned entry, rotunda and water fountains, and houses the new Commission Chambers, as well as Commissioner’s Offices.

See: The architect, JRA Architects, Inc. of Tallahassee also designed the courthouse

in Washington County.