SweetBay

SweetBay (also written Sweet Bay) is a 700-acre Panama City neighborhood on the old airport, with about five miles of bay shoreline.

A master-planned neighborhood in Panama City, on the bay.

SweetBay is inside Panama City limits, at the north end of Lisenby Avenue on St. Andrew Bay, about three miles northwest of downtown. It's one of the largest neighborhoods still being built in the county, and it has its own town center.

From airfield to neighborhood

This was an airfield for most of a century. In the early 1930s the Atkinson family gave the land to the Panama City Chamber of Commerce, and the terminal built later that decade gave the field its name, Fannin Field, after the mayor. It grew into Panama City–Bay County International Airport. After the airport moved to West Bay, the Airport Authority sold the land to St. Andrew Bay Land Company in February 2011 for $51.4 million. SweetBay held its grand opening in 2016. The old terminal is now University Academy, a free public charter school for pre-K through 8th grade.

What it's like

Trails and boardwalks follow the salt marsh and the shoreline, and the network grows as new phases open. Kestrel Park and Blossom Park each have a pool, and the bay is right there for kayaks and fishing. The Town Center's first phase opened in 2025 with about 17,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, a 48,000-square-foot Publix and a Publix Liquors. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the SweetBay Farmers Market sets up at 1980 Discovery Loop.

Homes

New homes run from two to six bedrooms, in one- and two-story plans. Samuel Taylor Homes sold the first ones in 2016, and Harris Doyle Homes later joined. The plan calls for roughly 3,000 homes over 15 to 20 years, in neighborhoods tied together by trails and waterways, and a marina is proposed. The Welcome Center is at 960 Promenade Street.

Getting around

HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital is about 5 minutes away. Downtown Panama City, St. Andrews and Lynn Haven are each about 10 minutes. Pier Park is about 25 minutes over the Hathaway Bridge, and the airport is about 35.

Before you buy

In 2023 the city created SweetBay community development districts to finance roads and other infrastructure, so ask whether a home carries a CDD assessment, and read the HOA documents. University Academy is a charter school, so ask the school how enrollment works. Zoned public schools depend on the street address. Check it with the Bay District Schools zone lookup.

Explore nearby

Neighborhood in Panama City, Bay County