PANAMA CITY BEACH — There soon will be another new face on the Panama City Beach City Council.
Along with gaining a new mayor in Stuart Tettemer, the City Council is slated to welcome Ethan Register as its Ward 2 member. Register, who ran unopposed for the position in the 2024 municipal elections in Bay County, will replace Phil Chester, who has reached his term limit.
"I'm just looking forward to being able to serve our community," Register said. "I don't have any other particular motives than to do what's best for the families that live inside the city limits, and to do what's best for the Beach.
"Panama City Beach is in a major growth stage, and I think it's almost like a fragile stage, so I want to be able to help kind of paint (its) future. ... We can make some really, really good decisions to look out into the future 40, 50 years to make sure what we do is the right way to develop a community that is experiencing the kind of growth that we are."
Originally from Georgia, Register, 34, has lived in the Panama City Beach area for more than a decade. He said it is important to find a balance between supporting the city's residents, its businesses and the millions of tourists who flock to the area each year.
Tourists not only help support local businesses, but they also allow PCB to not have a property tax by contributing to a 1% business tax on practically everything purchased within the city limits.
"It's a great place to work and play," Register said. "We serve a lot of guests who come to our destination, and we don't have an ad valorem tax, which is huge. ... I'd like to see that continue to stay the same.
"Tourism is such a key driver, and businesses are such a key driver, for us to stay off ad valorem taxes. I don't want to be part of a council that ever passes an ad valorem tax. ... We need to continue to have tourism thrive."
He noted pubic safety will be his top priority as the Ward 2 member of the City Council. He also hopes to help ongoing major roadway reconstruction projects in the area keep their momentum.
This includes the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area plan and the expansion of Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road).
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"I'm raising my kids here ... so obviously I'm invested in the community," Register said. "I'm going to make decisions for our community that I feel like are in the best interest of families. ... We have such a wonderfully diverse community, (and) I want businesses to thrive.
"I think moving forward, we just have to work together. A rising tide lifts all boats."
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