PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. 
On Thursday, Panama City Beach Council Members approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) to add a “safe room” to the city’s Public Works Building.

The north portion of the existing building will be upgraded, strengthening the roof and walls for added protection.

The safe room will be used to shelter utility employees.

“It will be able to hold 40 individuals, so that or during a hurricane, they can stay on property so we can respond quickly after a storm has passed to take care of our residents,” said Panama City Beach Council Member, Ward 3.

The design for the safe room will make it capable of withstanding winds from a Category 5 Hurricane and an EF-4 tornado.

The design for the new safe room will also include a generator.

“We’re also hoping that we will be able to find some additional funding down the road so that we can expand the project and make the whole building safe,” Coburn said.

The current cost estimate to complete construction is $1.45 million. The grant from FDEM will cover roughly $692,000 of the project cost.