Southport

Where it is

SR 77 is the main street. It crosses North Bay from Lynn Haven, runs through Southport and keeps going north to Chipley and I-10. County Road 2321 heads east toward the Deer Point dam. To the airport, SR 388 (the Don Johnson Memorial Highway) leaves SR 77 at Edwards Road and runs west to Northwest Florida Beaches International. Count on about 20 minutes. The mailing ZIP is 32409.

Deer Point Lake

The lake is the reason many people know Southport. It's a reservoir, made in 1961 when a dam closed off the upper end of North Bay at Deer Point, and it's Bay County's main source of drinking water. It's also a 5,000-acre freshwater fishery. FWC lists boat ramps on CR 2321 on both sides of the dam, with a fishing pier by the west-side ramp. Spring is shellcracker season, and bass fishing picks up again in the fall.

A community that chose to stay itself

When Lynn Haven proposed annexing Southport in 1998, residents pushed back. In a straw ballot that fall, nearly 79 percent voted for becoming their own City of Southport instead. A 1999 bill proposed a referendum on it. Southport is still unincorporated today, so Bay County handles local government.

Everyday errands and getting around

• Lynn Haven: shops and city services, about 7 minutes south across the bay.
• HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital: about 15 minutes. Downtown Panama City: about 20.
• Airport (ECP): about 20 minutes via SR 388.
• The beach: Pier Park is about 30 minutes. Rosemary Beach and the east end of 30A are about 40.

Good to know

Services, utilities and permits depend on the parcel; Bay County and the property appraiser have the details for each address. Zoned schools depend on the street address. Find yours with the Bay District Schools zone lookup.

Official links

Bay County government · FWC, Deer Point Lake · Bay County Property Appraiser