PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Panama City Beach officials say the city should be able to weather the expected plunge in March sales tax revenues resulting from a reduction in Spring Break business.
The News-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1TcK4Y5) even with an anticipated slow Spring Break this year, the city's annual tax revenues still could exceed last year's.
Hotel reservations are down more than 50 percent this Spring Break and businesses reporting sales down anywhere from 50 to 85 percent.
Businesses say the reduction is due to new laws passed to tone down the celebration, particularly the law banning drinking on the beach in March. But Bay County Commissioner Mike Thomas said the primary reason for the decrease in visitors is the bad publicity about crime from last year's Spring Break.
