Opening of Duplin Winery in Panama City Beach delayed again; late June now 'best case'
PANAMA CITY BEACH − The opening of the Duplin Winery being built in Panama City Beach has again been delayed, as there still are a few hurdles developers must overcome.
Located along Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road) near North Glades Trail, the winery was originally expected to open in December or January. That was then pushed back to spring, then about May or early June, and now officials are saying late June is the "best case scenario."
"My dad always told me, 'Son, you can make all the plans you want to make, but it's God's will that's going to be done.' So when it's the right time for us to be open is when we're going to be open, unfortunately," said Jonathan Fussell, co-owner of Duplin Winery. "If it was up to me, we would have been open way before now.
"It is frustrating, but I do see how hard folks are working, and they are trying to get it done."
Original expectations: Construction moving quicker than expected: Duplin Winery in PCB could open by end of year
Delays hit: Delayed again: Duplin Winery in Panama City Beach now expected to open in summer
Fussell said the main things slowing the winery's opening are a few small details that must be squared away before the building can receive its certification of occupancy. This includes installing necessary handicap signs.
The certification of occupancy is required to apply for a winery permit − another box still unchecked.
Fussell said he said part of the reason it has taken so long to open the winery is all of the ongoing construction in the Panama City Beach area. This has made it difficult to find enough crews to facilitate a quick development.
"Unfortunately, we're just waiting on some small things to be knocked off the list, but those small things add up and are slowing things down," Fussell said. "In this area, there's so much construction going on, and folks are really, really backed up and busy."
The local Duplin Winery will be the brand's third establishment, with others in Rose Hill, North Carolina, and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The company is the highest selling muscadine winery in the world.
Duplin's Panama City Beach location is being built on the footprint of the former Hombre Golf Course, which closed after Category 5 Hurricane Michael hit the area in October 2018. The development sits on property owned by Fussell Real Estate Holdings, a real estate developer of which Fussell is a managing partner.
The company, which is registered out of North Carolina, purchased about 70 acres on the former golf course in 2020. It is using about three acres for the winery, and vertical construction of the development began in June 2022.
The local winery will feature five tasting bars, a retail shop, wine slushy bar, fudge bar and a 13,000-square-foot pavilion. It is expected to create more than 60 jobs.
"I cannot wait to be able to show (everyone) this (winery), and I'm so looking forward to being able to share this dream with them," Fussell said.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Opening of Duplin Winery in Panama City Beach delayed again
