The House is poised later this week to approve a measure giving nearly 600 local voters the right to make Panacea an official city.
Civic boosters want to promote the tiny fishing village 28 miles southwest of Tallahassee as a tourist destination.
Republican Representative Halsey Beshears of Monticello says he doesn’t want to create a new layer of government in Wakulla County.
“But, it is for the people of Panacea to decide and determine if they want to be masters of their own destiny and incorporate.”
The vote would occur August 19 and calls for setting up a government with a mayor and five council members. Panacea’s history goes back to 1895 and the name comes from nearby mineral springs.
