Panama City mayor unveils communications overhaul, new town halls and feedback features

Mayor Allen Branch said the city has reorganized its communications team to produce clearer information and make it easier for residents to engage with local government. "My name is Allen Branch, mayor of Panama City, and I'm so excited to share with you the changes we've made to our communication team so we can create clear, concise videos just like this," he said.

Branch said the videos are intended to "explain what's happening, why decisions are made, and how you can get involved," a push he framed as part of an investment to keep city government "accessible, responsive, and better at keeping you informed." The administration said the effort pairs new digital content with in-person outreach.

Among the changes announced are monthly town hall meetings described as "open to everyone" and conducted without scripts to encourage neighbor-to-neighbor dialogue. The mayor said the city will also expand feedback options, adding visible stickers on city-hall doors and placing feedback links in staff emails so residents can offer input more easily. "Every comment is read, appreciated, and used to help us improve our services for you," he said.

Branch also highlighted a push to simplify written communications, saying the city is "updating everything from emails to notices to make them clearer and easier for you to understand." He said the communications work will be done "in collaboration with community partners to interact with city hall on a daily basis," and framed the overall goal as making interactions with local government "fair, clear, predictable, and as low stress as possible."

The announcement concluded with a direct appeal for participation: "With your input, we can improve Panama City together." The city did not provide a timeline for the rollout of the videos or other specific implementation dates in this statement.