Emerald Coast News feed by MyPanhandle

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Thursday turned out to be a beautiful day, with the rain holding off just in time for the kick-off of Gulf Coast Jam! Thursday was day one of the 4 day event at Frank Brown Park. Hardy, known for his song "Wait in the Truck" is headlining Thursday night. Also [...]

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — After surgery and lengthy rehabilitation, Wildman is in almost perfect health. But he's never going to be able to return to the wild. It's been a long road to recovery for this young bobcat. On memorial day weekend last year, he was hit by a truck on Highway 231 and pinned [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Bay County residents gathered on the Hathaway Bridge Thursday morning to protest Florida's new immigration legislation. The law puts stricter regulations on undocumented immigrants. "It makes me feel mad,” protester Lucia Lopez said. “It makes me feel like we kind of like going back that worse instead of going somewhere. [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The end of the Panama City Marina, known as the T-dock, has for all intents and purposes been closed to the public since Hurricane Michael. Gates blocking the T-dock at the Panama City Marina will soon be coming down. "We won't have construction fences, but we are going to have [...]

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Panama City Police have identified the man killed in a wreck on Highway 231 Wednesday night. According to a news release by the PCPD, officers responded to the intersection of U.S. 231 and Bayou George Drive around 8:35 p.m. after receiving a report of a two-vehicle crash. Michael Angelo Franjul, [...]

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — A Louisiana man was arrested after running from the law and causing a fatal traffic crash on Interstate 10, authorities said. According to an arrest affidavit from the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers were monitoring eastbound traffic on I-10 when a red Dodge Challenger passed them. The driver, Dquinn Tyrek Butler, [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A transient who attacked a Bay County Sheriff's deputy with his own gun was found guilty of attempted murder Wednesday night. It took the jury about two hours to find Michael Barrett guilty of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and [...]

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WMBB) -- In a special meeting on Wednesday, May 31, the Walton County Commission voted 3-1 to hire Quinn Robertson as the new County Administrator. Robertson is an ARMY veteran from Indialantic, Florida. According to his resume, Robertson most recently owned a German-themed Biergarten in Melbourne, Fla. Before his time in Florida, [...]

DESTIN, Fla. (WMBB) -- The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office patrols local waterways 24/7. Over the Memorial Day weekend, more than 40,000 vessels took to the water to remember the fallen. OCSO said over the four-day period, FWC worked two minor crashes, drastically down from 2022 numbers. According to FWC, Okaloosa County was among the top [...]

PANAMA CITY (WMBB) — The First Alert Storm Team kicks off 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season with a new episode of Tropic Topics! We'll be going over 91L, El Nino, decision-making timeline, predictions and more! The season starts off with a storm, it has a chance to become a tropical storm but is moving south away [...]

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) — The gates inside Frank Brown Park open up Thursday, June 1 at 1 p.m. for the most popular music festival in Southeast America. Gulf Coast Jam is a sold-out show. It is expected to welcome up to 30,000 people from all over the world each of its four nights [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Meet Marlene, News 13’s Pet Adoption Option of the Week! This sweet, German Shepherd and Husky mix is around 2 years and 1 month old and is available for adoption at the Bay County Animal Shelter. Learn more about other adoptable animals at the shelter. Bay County Animal Control is [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB-TV) - News 13 is going purple for Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month this June, raising awareness of the disease and sharing resources available to people who may need it in the Florida Panhandle. The Alzheimer's Association is also bringing their mobile education center, the Brain Bus, to the Panhandle, making multiple [...]

SPRINGFIELD, Fla. (WMBB) - Springfield city officials are hosting a free event to kick-off the Summer season. "Sliding into Summer" will be Saturday, June 3, at Buddy McLemore Park, located at 299 Detroit Avenue. There will be several inflatable water slides, live music, and free food. Watch the interview to learn more about this inaugural [...]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is sharpening his attacks against former President Donald Trump just a week into his White House campaign, ushering in a new, more bitter phase of the 2024 presidential race. Speaking to reporters in Iowa after a campaign kickoff rally Tuesday night, DeSantis delivered his most direct attack on Trump yet, [...]

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — One person is dead in a crash at the intersection of Highway 231 and Bayou George Drive Wednesday evening. According to Panama City Police officials, a FedEx truck was heading north in the outside lane when it collided with a passenger car around 8:30 p.m. The driver of the car [...]

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) — The Publix Sports Park will start off its busy summer with the Ripken Select Tournament. "Certainly no bigger name than Ripken," Publix Sports Park General Manager Mike Higgins said. "It's cool to welcome him to the community and see what we're doing here firsthand." The tournament in Panama City [...]

CALHOUN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) —The wildfire in Calhoun County almost doubled in size Wednesday morning. Florida Forest Service officials said it began Monday as an unauthorized pile burn that got out of control. The stubborn wildfire is located west of Clarksville on some soft, mucky ground along Highway 20. At its peak Wednesday it covered [...]

JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Jackson County Sheriff's Office officials said they arrested a man after he tried to evade authorities in multiple counties Wednesday morning. According to a Facebook post by JCSO, deputies received a call around 12:30 a.m. that the Washington County Sheriff's Office was in an active pursuit with a reckless driver [...]

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — Over the next few months Bay County will be busy with tourists and locals enjoying the summer season, but summer or not, large crowds are nothing new for Panama City Beach. "We have the beach patrol going nearly year-round right now so, of course, we upped the numbers of deputies [...]

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WMBB) -- Hurricane season kicks off June 1. On top of the public having supplies, law enforcement in Walton County is practicing how to respond to different disasters. Fire rescue, deputies, the school district, and organizations like the American Red Cross all met in one room Wednesday. The groups practiced how to respond [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — You may not have to travel too far to enjoy Independence Day, thanks to a recent announcement made by Panama City officials. According to a Facebook post by the City of Panama City, a portion of the T-dock of the Panama City Marina is currently undergoing preparations to reopen for [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — With summer in full gear, many residents and tourists alike are looking for nearby entertainment to enjoy the season. Gulf Coast Jam is about to kick off on Thursday, June 1, with headliner Kenny Chesney, and other well-known artists such as Miranda Lambert, Hardy, and Kane Brown. The Seabreeze Jazz [...]

Update 5:51 p.m.: According to a news release by the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling eastbound on Interstate 10 near the 62-mile marker. Officials state that vehicle was driving recklessly, and as troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, the vehicle continued to flee in a reckless manner until [...]

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) -- If you heard a boom or felt tremors through your home just before ten o'clock last night, that was a sonic boom. Many people posted to social media, and some called 911 concerned about an explosion. The loud noise that shook homes across the region was caused by a SpaceX Capsule [...]

Do you “go nuts” for doughnuts? Sure you do. We all do. They’re made from fried dough and sugar. We’d be fools not to be interested.

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) -- A local home repair application deadline is coming up. The Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency has partnered with World Changers to offer home improvements for free. Qualifying applicants include North Downtown homeowners which encompasses mainly the Glenwood community. Millville CRA district homeowners can also apply. They have until Thursday, June [...]

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — The speed limit on Jenks Avenue is going through a permanent change starting this summer. According to a Facebook post by the City of Panama City, the speed limit on Jenks Avenue between State Road 390 and West 15th Street (U.S. 98) will permanently change to 40 mph as of [...]

LYNN HAVEN, Fla. (WMBB) — Problems with a splash pad built by Phoenix Construction has the company's owner offering the City of Lynn Haven $75,000. Earlier this month, News 13 reported that city workers discovered leaks and pipe problems at the James Finch Splash Pad in March of 2022. They attempted to make repairs themselves, [...]

Panama City Fla. (WMBB-TV) - Rain chances are on the rise as a surface trough and an upper-level trough is just to our south. This sounds hard to understand but it's not just broad lows at different levels of the atmosphere. A bit of a spin has developed and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has [...]