On 23rd Street, This Fall's Changes Show Up Before 10 a.m.

"I've worked for other people all my life and at 55 years old, I finally made a decision that it's time to go on your own," Steven McGinn told WJHG this summer. He was explaining why he opened Bayline Grill in the train car on West 23rd Street that had been sitting empty for years.

The two newest arrivals on the corridor both open at 7 a.m. from Monday through Saturday. In early October, the crews resurfacing the street were scheduled to work overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Each morning, someone driving 23rd Street goes from a freshly milled lane to a new place to stop. That window is when the street is changing.

6 a.m.: The Paving Crew Clocks Out

The project behind the cones has a name and a long timeline. The Florida Department of Transportation lists it as project 450818-1, which resurfaces S.R. 368, which is 23rd Street, from S.R. 390 to U.S. 231. That's 4.596 miles. The project is in construction, has an estimated cost of $11.4 million, and is expected to finish in Summer 2028.

So the work you see now is the start of a timeline that runs roughly two more years from today. Resurfacing is only part of it. FDOT's list of planned work includes signal upgrades, sidewalk improvements, curb, gutter and drainage work, and new signs and pavement markings. The same contract also covers work on S.R. 390, which is Beck Avenue, from U.S. 98 to 23rd Street, and on Lisenby Avenue from 23rd Street to S.R. 390.

The schedule shows when the work happens. FDOT's Central Panhandle traffic advisory from October 2, 2026 listed intermittent lane closures on the U.S. 231 and 23rd Street resurfacing project from Sunday, October 4 through Thursday, October 8, "from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for milling and paving." That week is over, and the closure windows change from week to week. If you're out on 23rd Street after dark, check the current weekly advisory on FDOT's Northwest Florida Roads site first. FDOT notes on the project page that its details are preliminary and current as of August 4, 2026.

On those mornings, the crews were scheduled to leave an hour before the new businesses open.

7 a.m.: Two Doors Open on the Same Street

The two newest stops on 23rd Street open at the same hour six days a week, and both start the day before lunch. The table below lists each one's posted hours, taken from its own website.

Bayline's hours come from an undated page on its website, so call ahead before planning a visit around them. On weekdays you can have breakfast at one and pick up coffee at the other before 10:30. On Sunday, Lucky Goat opens two hours before Bayline's brunch.

The Train Car That Waited Years for a Tenant

According to WJHG's August 12 report, the building shaped like a train car was put up by a property owner who loved trains. The station reported that it sat empty for years before Bayline Grill opened there on July 27. The restaurant's name and decor fit the building. WJHG described photos of Panama City's railway history hung throughout the dining room, and about 30 employees on staff.

WJHG called it a waterfront restaurant. A photo on the restaurant's website identifies the water as Poston Bayou, seen from the deck. McGinn told the station the restaurant's approach is "cheap prices and big portions." He said breakfast comes first, and the lunch and dinner menus lean toward seafood and steakhouse dishes. The current menu is on the Bayline Grill website as images, so look there for specific dishes.

WJHG also reported McGinn's comment that permits and paperwork took months before the restaurant could open. On a corridor where the road project runs to 2028, a few months of approvals is a short wait. The building already existed. What it needed was an operator ready to serve breakfast.

A Coffee Counter Inside the Weekly Errand Run

The second arrival is in a shopping center many Panama City residents already pass through for groceries. 23rd Street Station is a retail center of roughly 98,800 square feet at 650 West 23rd Street, anchored by Publix. The tenant list is a familiar errand route. It includes Newk's Express Cafe, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Firehouse Subs, Pet Supplies Plus, Plato's Closet, Once Upon a Child, Publix Liquor and Supercuts, with Applebee's, Wendy's, Innovations Federal Credit Union and Walmart on the outparcels.

Lucky Goat Coffee is now on that roster. The Panama City News Herald reported on October 8, 2026 that the chain "has arrived in Panama City," citing a press release describing the city's "warm, welcoming spirit and vibrant local culture" as "a natural fit for our next chapter." The company's 23rd Street Station page lists the café at 620 West 23rd Street. Lucky Goat started roasting coffee in Tallahassee in 2010, according to the company's own history.

The café is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, and the center's anchor is a grocery store. A stop for coffee now fits into the same parking lot as the weekly shopping trip, early enough to beat the after-work traffic on 23rd Street.

After Dark, the Street Belongs to the Crews

Evenings on 23rd Street have moved in the other direction this fall. MyPanhandle reported on September 10, 2026 that O'Charley's was closing its remaining locations nationwide, and that the Panama City restaurant at 311 E. 23rd Street was already permanently closed. The report did not give a local closing date. The closure came from a national decision, not from anything specific to the corridor.

For anyone looking for dinner on the new side of the street, Bayline Grill serves it Wednesday through Saturday from 3:30 to 9 p.m. That overlaps with FDOT's overnight window. Paving closures like the October 4 to 8 round were scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., an hour before Bayline's posted closing time. If you're heading out for a late dinner on a weeknight, check that week's advisory before you leave.

None of this is finished. The sidewalk and signal improvements in FDOT's scope will arrive in stages until the projected Summer 2028 completion, along with the related work on Beck Avenue and Lisenby Avenue. FDOT's weekly advisories will announce when and where each closure happens.

For more on how Panama City's other corridors are changing this year, see our guide to Panama City, our piece on the St. Andrews Saturday market, and our look at downtown's new weeknight calendar.

Gillman Group Realty follows changes like these along 23rd Street because what opens near a home, and what is being rebuilt in front of it, are part of how that home is lived in. If you'd like to talk about what the corridor's next two years could mean for your part of Panama City, we'd be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.