Good News Bay

Episode 27: Colonel George Watkins “People want to come to Tyndall. They’re excited about the change, they’re excited about the community. Word is out that we’ve got a great community out here and amazing community support.” In this episode of Good News Bay, Steve sits down with Colonel George Watkins. The two discuss the new developments coming to Tyndall Air Force Base and how these changes to t...

Episode 26: Jesse Nelson “I see our future being a lot brighter than what we are experiencing right now, and even now we’re in good times. We are certainly blessed, but I see our future growing greater and brighter.”  In this new episode, Steve sits down with Lynn Haven Mayor, Jesse Nelson to discuss the openings of new parks in the city, the rebuilding of the Lynn Haven Sports Complex, the new yo...

Episode 25: Joshua Street “You’ve gotta celebrate what you can do for one what you wish you could do for everybody. That is a huge amount of progress, and you have to treat every situation in that way.” In this new episode, Steve sits down with City Commissioner Joshua Street, to discuss the good news in Bay county! Whether this be the new improvements coming to homes affected by flooding, new pla...

Episode 24: Jennifer Vigil “After the hurricane someone asked me, "How would we ever market again?.... I said, "I would much rather that we be known as the greatest recovery story ever told, than the hardest hit by any hurricane!”" In this new episode, Dr. Steve sits down with Jennifer Vigil to discuss the exciting things that make people want to live in Panama City. She explains al...

Season 2 Episode 1: Brooke Bullard, Joe Holt, and Dr. Jim Cook “And I don't think that we have to overthink it too, I think we  just need to be there for these kids and just lend them the support and encouragement they need. And just do the right thing. It doesn't have to turn into something hard, it can be something very simple and can be very meaningful in the long run.”  In this new e...

Episode 22: Joey D’Isernia “We’re here, we have a tremendous economic impact in the area, and that's one thing. We also make it a point, and want to continue to make it a point, to have a positive impact in the community, and make our community strong not just from an economic standpoint, but through all aspects of our community.” In this episode, Steve sits down with Eastern Shipbuilding Gro...

Episode 21: Brad Stephens “Someone once said ‘you fail forward’ and I bit onto that whole-heartedly. If you want to move forward, you have to fail a bunch of times to get there.” In this episode, Steve sits down with local business owner, Brad Stephens. The two discuss the positive improvements that have come to the downtown St. Andrews area, Bay County’s beautiful sunsets, and the best place to g...

Episode 20: Parker McClellan “I think there is no argument that the Panhandle and Bay County and the region have been discovered.  How are we going to prepare for that future? We have design projects underway to say ‘let's grow,’ and ‘how can we grow?’ We want to grow very methodically so that we remain competitive in the marketplace.” In this episode, Steve sits down with the Executive Direc...

Episode 19: Becca Hardin “I am a true believer that if we ever get a company to Bay County, Bay County sells itself. I mean you just look around at the great assets we have, and you can feel the energy a lot has taken place. We have gone through a lot after the hurricane and then two years of lock-down with Covid, but we’re just now hitting our stride.” In this episode, Steve sits down with Bay Ec...

Episode 18: Dean Hanna & Assoc. Dean Clark “Once you’re here, you’re an FSU student. If the program you want is in Tallahassee, you’re able to transfer to Tallahassee. We have some students who do that, we have some students who come here, planning to do that and they stay, but they realize they like it here better.” In this episode, Steve sits down with Dean Hanna and Dean Clark from FSU PC t...

“I just realized how similar our mission is with what you are doing right here,” Leake explains when comparing Chasin’ the Sun and Good News Bay. “I know that the two have a lot of things in common, but the mission behind our show is to show people Bay County and Panama City Beach in a good light. You watch the news, there is a lot of other stuff on there that is not great, not happy, not exciting...

Episode 17: Jay Trumbull   “We used to talk about ‘when they find us, when these folks find us this place is going to explode.’ We have been found. I think we have been shot out of a rocket or cannon right now, and it’s really amazing how significant the growth is in our area and I really believe that there is no slowing down.” In this episode, Steve sits down with State Representative Jay Trumbul...

Episode 15: Rick Burgess  “You may not always live out what you profess, that’s possible to say one thing and do another, but let me tell you this every single person lives out what they really believe.” In this episode, Steve sits down with radio personality Rick Burgess to discuss the ideas of godly manhood, maintaining solid accountability partners, and handling the transitions in an ever-devel...

Episode 14: Dan Rowe: President & CEO of Visit Panama City Beach   “People have demand for our product.  They want to be where we live...The demand for our product was so high, because they love the environment, they love the experience, they love what we have.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Dan Rowe, President and CEO of Visit Panama City Beach and the Executive Director of the Bay T...

Fred Hapner - Guardian Ad Litem “Every child matters and we want to help them realize that!.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Fred Hapner who is the 14th Circuit Direct for Guardian Ad Litem. The vision of Guardian Ad Litem is to continue to be a powerful and effective voice advocating for the best interests of Florida’s abused, abandoned and neglected children and be recognized and respect...

Episode 13: Mayor Mark Sheldon    “You can choose to live anywhere. You choose to live here [Bay County] because it's an amazing place. And when you start thinking about it, anyone in this community is willing to roll up their sleeves and help their neighbor.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Panama City Beach Mayor, Mark Sheldon.  Learn more about how the beach is adjusting to our ever...

Joel Booth & Brooke Bullard - Anchorage Children’s Home “We want to make every child feel like they have a place to belong! The people of  Bay County can help us do that.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Joel Booth-Executive Director and Brooke Bullard-Development Director, of Anchorage Children’s Home. Anchorage Children’s Home is a non-profit organization, founded on Christian princip...

Elevate Bay: Stacey Legg “We try to make it super simple because we believe that everyone has something to share.  We want to make it so that everyone can fit it in their schedule and their time frame.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Stacey Legg, the Elevate Bay Mentor Coordinator.   Elevate Bay is a mentor initiative through Bay District schools and exists to provide positive support to o...

Episode 12: County Manager - Bob Majka   “The more decision making that can happen here at home, that we can make as a community, whether its individually or whether its through our elected officials...quicker things can happen or I dare say the more sound the decisions will be. The analogy I kinda use is like a gas pedal on a car.  We are in control of the foot, we can push the gas pedal or we ca...

"If you do not like the way your country is going, get involved in your local community and make a difference there and the country will take care of itself."-Chuck Perdue In this episode, Steve sits down with Bay County Tax Collector Chuck Perdue.  Learn more about the impact leadership can have in creating a positive culture in the work place, the growth in Bay County, and a powerful s...

Episode 10:  “It’s in those moments that you look back and it’s nothing spectacular but it’s good. I think there’s a lot of good going on in this town.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Kyle Shoots, a local business owner and Pastor at Calvary Panama City. Calvary is celebrating their one year anniversary this month!  Learn more about Kyle’s experience as a small business owner in Bay County...

Episode 9: Matt & Griff Griffitts  “We live in paradise...we travel all over the world to try to find that and its here,” exclaimed Matt as he was asked what he loves most about Bay County.  “We have 10 years to work as hard as we can...look back and go wow,” responded Griff.  In this episode, Steve sits down with County Commissioner Griff Griffits and his brother Matt Griffitts, owner of Grif...

Episode 8: Allan Branch “Every community that gets revitalized has to be revitalized from within.”  In this episode, Steve sits down with Bay County Entrepreneur, Allan Branch.  He loves Bay County and has a passion to protect & preserve the stories of how our community was built.  Learn more about his deep family legacy of entrepreneurship, the “history” behind History Class, and his future v...

Episode 7: Denise Kelley In this episode, Steve sits down with Denise Kelley, Deputy Superintendent of Bay District Schools.  Denise survived a drunk driving accident and within the same year was diagnosed with breast cancer at a very young age.  Her journey to recovery was filled with God-moments and incredible support from her family and friends. Denise also shares about all the good news coming...

Good News Bay: Bonus Episode: Chris Colee & Jarret Garber In this bonus episode, Steve sits down with Chris Colee and Jarret Garber of Houston's First to learn about the work that their youth students will be doing in our community this week.  For the past 7 years, Houston's First has been coming to Panama City for their youth camp and partnering with local churches and schools to do...