Panama City Ranks No. 2 in Florida for Permitting Speed, City Says, Citing Red Tape Index

The City of Panama City says it ranks No. 2 among Florida cities for building permitting performance, according to a Red Tape Index analysis the city cited in a news release posted Nov. 4, 2026.

The index ranks 539 U.S. cities and gives Panama City an overall score of 89 out of 100. The city ranks No. 26 nationally. The release says the index considered permitting speed, approval quality, population growth and public data availability, and that it covered about 3.2 million permits.

How fast permits move in Panama City

The city reports these average approval times:

• Commercial building permits: 10.7 days, which the city describes as the fastest turnaround among Florida’s 10 highest-ranked cities.
• Residential permits: about 12.8 days, compared with 28 days for the typical Florida city.

The release does not say how the city counts those days, such as whether the clock starts when an application is submitted or when it is found complete.

What the ranking does not show

The release does not say who publishes the Red Tape Index, what criteria it uses in full, or what period its data covers. Those details are in the full feature article and methodology that the city links to on Red Tape Florida. Readers who need them should check that source directly.

City Manager Jonathan Hayes and Development Services Director Michael Fuller are quoted in the release. Fuller said the goal is to make the development process “as efficient, accessible and straightforward as possible while ensuring projects meet the standards that protect our community.”

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