Approximately 300 miles from Atlanta, New Orleans, and Orlando, in the Florida panhandle, is Panama City Beach, home of "The World's Most Beautiful Beaches." The legendary beach consists of eighteen miles of sparkling white smooth sand and the clear emerald green water of the Gulf of Mexico. Combine the water and beach with an average air temperature of 74^o and the result is a wonderland environment not only for leisure vacationers of all ages but also an ideal climate for business and industry.

The average water temperature in the 70s naturally enhances the beauty of the beach. The pleasant air temperature, and an average rainfall of 58 inches produces a variety of tropical and subtropical vegetation. The most important plant, protected by law, is the sea oat. This rugged grass grows on the dunes near the beaches serving to protect the dunes by trapping sand and therefore preventing erosion. The dunes play a vital part in coastal ecology further protecting inland areas. Many other flowering plants, palms, live and scrub oak, ferns, pampas grass, and philodendrons abound providing fascinating tropical and subtropical worlds both on land and below the ocean's surface.