On March 4, the Bay County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to rename a section of Thomas Drive to Navy Boulevard, in honor of Naval Support Activity-Panama City (NSA-PC) and the many contributions to our community of its servicemembers and civilian employees.

“Bay County is excited to honor the contributions of Naval Support Activity-Panama City’s service members and civilian employees to our community, both from an economic and social standpoint,” Bay County Commissioner Clair Pease said. “This change was supported unanimously by our board, and I am so grateful to recognize the tremendous importance of this base not only to Bay County but also to our country.”

NSA-PC hosts the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Panama City Division, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, Navy Experimental Diving Unit and U.S. Coast Guard Station Panama City and employs more than 4,000 civilian and military personnel with an annual payroll of more than $466 million.

"It's a great honor to have this section of Thomas Drive renamed in commemoration of the Navy's 250th birthday. Since 1942, we've been a part of Panama City and this decision further cements our place in the local community. We are so proud and look forward to continuing to build a lasting partnership," said Cmdr. Michael Mosi of Naval Support Activity Panama City.

The installation spends some $600 million annually in contracts for local goods and services and is part of a broader military impact to the area of around $4.3 billion. 

County Road 392 from St. Andrews State Park to Joan Avenue remains Thomas Drive in honor of Gideon Thomas, an early pioneer in resort development and tourism marketing of Panama City Beach. 

What do residents/business owners with a current Thomas Drive address need to know?

• Thomas Drive addresses below 4200 are renamed Navy Boulevard, impacting 604 residential and business addresses.
• Bay County retains Thomas Drive as an alternate legal name, and address numbers are unchanged. For example: 3911 Thomas Drive is now 3911 Navy Boulevard. However, the U.S. Postal Service continues to recognize both Navy Boulevard AND Thomas Drive. 
• Mail will continue to be delivered without interruption. Property owners may update their addresses with the U.S. Postal Service, utility providers and other service providers, but it is not mandatory or necessary.
• Police, fire and medical services have been notified of the changes and will continue to respond without interruption. 
• The road name change is reflected in official county records automatically.
• Updates to drivers’ license or registration information is not required and may be undertaken through the normal renewal cycle.
• Residents subject to any legal requirement to update a change of address, such as a condition of probation or other offender status, need to contact the appropriate authority to determine if the roadway name change mandates any reporting requirement. 
• Bay County does not require business owners to change any business name, signage, stationary, business cards or otherwise to reflect any roadway name changes, and the decision to update materials is at the discretion of the business owner.
• Bay County will begin changing street signs within a few weeks. The total estimated cost for associated street sign changes is $4,540. For the large overhead signs, the county is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to replace them. 
• Bay County is notifying other interested parties of the potential change; however, it may take some time for the change to be reflected in wireless navigation providers (i.e., Google, Bing, etc.) and with private package carriers such as UPS or FedEx.