Officials consider purchase of former WestRock paper mill property

Operations at WestRock's Panama City, Florida, paper mill permanently ceased June 6 and Bay County officials have been given the opportunity to evaluate and possibly acquire the property.

According to a report from the Panama City News Herald, County Manager Bob Majka executed an exclusivity agreement with WestRock on May 27 regarding the paper mill. Majka told the News Herald Chairman Robert Carroll would engage with experts to get appraisals completed, environmental assessments done and see if there is any type of risk or reward for the county owning the 350-acre property.

The 92-year-old mill produced containerboard—primarily heavyweight kraft—and fluff pulp, with a combined annual capacity of 645,000 tons. WestRock announced the closure in April and said the Panama City mill would "require significant capital investment to maintain and improve going forward."

The closure impacted approximately 450 employees who lost their jobs. WestRock said at the time it announced the closure that all employees would receive severance and other outplacement assistance in accordance with company policy and labor union agreements.

Carroll told the News Herald, "We need to make sure that we have great jobs that have good pay, good benefits in the long-term jobs. Some type of industry on that site, it's ideal with the roadway access to [U.S. Route] 98, the port access, it would just make sense to increase the industrial use.

"We're looking forward to look under the covers and see what's there and what it would take to develop that property again."