The Panama City Beach City Council officially named former Chief of Police Drew R. Whitman as the City's new City Manager during its April 22, 2021 Council meeting. Whitman was selected after a national search drew more than 60 applicants.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to continue to serve the City in the capacity of City Manager,” Whitman said. “I love this City and I have raised a family here. I am honored the Council has entrusted me with managing the day-to-day activities and I look forward to our continued growth and success. The City has a lot going on and we want to continue to move forward.”

The City of Panama City Beach, by City Charter, has a City Manager form of government. The Manager is appointed by the City Council to administer the day-to-day operations of the City. Assistant to the City Manager for Finance, Holly White, is now Assistant City Manager under Whitman. She has previously served as Interim City Manager.

Whitman is a 30-year City employee, having joined the Panama City Beach Police Department in 1991, and working his way up the ranks to Chief in 2012. 

He grew up in Byron, Mich., and settled in Panama City Beach in 1988 while serving in the U.S. Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base. He joined the Panama City Beach Police Department as an auxiliary officer in 1989 and received his Criminal Justice Certification from Gulf Coast Community College during that time.

In 1991, he became a full-time officer after completing his tour with the Air Force, which included a tour of duty in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He worked his way through the ranks of uniformed patrol, and then in 2012 he took over the command of the Department as Chief of Police.

He is a 2004 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy, with the 219^th session. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a Master Mason and a member of the Shaddai Shrine Temple.

The City Manager can be reached at (850) 233-5100.