Florida /

Saint Andrew's Bay

Bay in Florida · 32,071 acres · near Delwood Beach, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Upper Grand Lagoon

St. Andrew Bay, often called St. Andrews Bay, is a 69,000-acre estuary in Bay County in the Florida Panhandle. It is fairly deep and fairly salty because little fresh water flows in, mostly from a few spring-fed creeks. The largest of these is Econfina Creek. Panama City, the county seat, sits on the bay. The inlet area south of Panama City and east of Panama City Beach is the 24,116-acre St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve. The preserve was designated in 1972 and is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Bay County, the City of Panama City and Florida State Parks run the public launches. Bay County's saltwater ramps include Dolphin Drive, Oriole Street, Quail Street and Safari Street on the South Lagoon, plus Shoreline Circle, Burnt Mill Creek on West Bay and West Hathaway Bridge. The county lists each ramp as either commercial or non-commercial. The city runs ramps at Carl Gray Park, Panama City Marina and St. Andrews Marina. In 2023 the city commission passed a resolution to keep both marina ramps open. St. Andrews State Park has a double-sided concrete ramp on Grand Lagoon and charges a launch and entrance fee. Seagrass is protected inside the aquatic preserve. Boaters must stay out of shallow water and raise their motors over seagrass, and damaging it can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

During the Civil War the bay held many Confederate saltworks, and Union forces on the steamboat USS Bloomer destroyed a large number of them. The bay's shallows are known for mullet, redfish and speckled trout.

Boating rules

Rules change; check with the agency or town before you go.

Launches

Community

Where people who fish, boat and paddle Saint Andrew's Bay talk about it. Lake associations, clubs and local groups will be added as we find them.

Sources

  1. St. Andrews Bay (Florida) - Wikipedia
  2. St. Andrew Bay Virtual Library - NOAA AOML
  3. St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve - Florida Aquatic Preserves (FDEP)
  4. Boat Ramp Locations - Bay County, FL
  5. Experiences & Amenities - St. Andrews State Park - Florida State Parks
  6. Popular Panama City boat ramps will officially remain open - WJHG

Researched October 14, 2026 from the sources above. Written content CC BY 4.0. Something wrong? Corrections are welcome.