Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794d) The Panama City Port Authority is committed to making its information and communication technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 is a federal law that requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities access to electronic and information technology and data comparable to those who do not have disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. To meet this commitment, our web pages have been designed to meet or exceed the Section 508 standards and conform to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) Level AA. If you would like to file a Section 508 related complaint, please contact John Miller, Director of Accounting and Human Resources at jmiller@portpcfl.com or phone (850)767-3220. Letters should be addressed to: John Miller, Director of Accounting and HR, 1 Seaport Drive, Panama City, FL 32401.

What Is Title VI? Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that states that “No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Port Panama City is dedicated to promoting nondiscrimination in all of its facilities, programs and services. Title VI / Nondiscrimination Policy Statement It is the policy of Port Panama City that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in the receipt of its services on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap, creed/religion, low income, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), or any other federally protected category as protected under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended and any other non-discrimination statutes that afford legal protection. No person or group of persons shall be discriminated against with regard to availability or quality of Port Panama City transportation services. Nor shall the availability or quality of transportation services, security, emergency services, information or assistance, fare structures, frequency of service, and access to transportation facilities provided by or directly operated by Port Panama City, be determined based on any of the categories listed above. Port Panama City’s Title VI Coordinator is the (insert team member title). The Title VI Coordinator oversees the continued development and administration of Port Panama City’s Title VI/Nondiscrimination Program, and reports directly to my office on civil rights matters. The Title VI/Nondiscrimination Program is an Agency-wide commitment and all department directors, managers, and employees share the responsibility of ensuring compliance. Efforts to prevent discrimination must address each program activity and service that impacts the community, the traveling public and entities that do business with Port Panama City. Accordingly, each Department Director is responsible to plan, develop, implement and operate programs, services or activities in compliance with this Policy and the Title VI/Nondiscrimination Program. Any person who believes that he or she has, individually or as a member of any specific class of persons, been subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, creed/religion, disability, or other federally protected category may file a complaint with Port Panama City, as outlined in Port Panama City’s Title VI Complaint Procedures, within 180 days of the date of the alleged discrimination. The Title VI Complaint Procedures are available at www.PortPCFL.com and by calling (850) 767-3220. This Policy is available on Port Panama City’s web site and is distributed electronically to Port Panama City staff. Alex King, Executive Director. Date: September 2023.

Complaint Process
Any individual or group of individuals who believe that he/she or they have been subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI and ADA nondiscrimination procedures based on race, color or national origin (including Limited English Proficiency) or disability may file a written complaint to Panama City Port Authority. A formal complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days of the alleged occurrence or when the alleged discrimination became known to the complainant.
The complaint must meet the following requirements in that it must:

• Be made in writing or submitted electronically to John Miller;
• Be submitted on the ‘Title VI and ADA Discrimination Complaint Form’ and signed by the complainant(s);
• Include the full name and address(es) of the complainant(s);
• Include the date(s) of the alleged act(s) of discrimination;
• Include the full name(s), job title(s), and work address(es) of the accused party(ies), if known;
• Include a detailed description of the alleged act(s) of discrimination (specify all issues and circumstances of the alleged discrimination);
• Identify the basis of the complaint (i.e., race, color, national origin, LEP, disability); and
• Include the name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of any person who may have knowledge of the alleged incident.

For complaints to be accepted, they must be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination; meet the above procedures for filing; and allegations must be based on issues pertaining to race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency).
A complaint may be dismissed if the complainant requests the withdrawal of the complaint; the complainant does not respond to requests for information on or before the date indicated in the request; or the complaint is not timely filed.
In cases where a complainant cannot provide a written complaint, assistance will be provided by John Miller. However, all complaints must be signed by the complainant or its legal designee. A signature provided by a legal designee must be accompanied by written permission from the complainant.
Complaint Investigation
Following the receipt and review of the complaint by John Miller or a designee will issue a letter acknowledging receipt of the complaint.
The accused party(ies) will be notified that a complaint has been filed against him/her/them within 60 days of accepting the complaint. When applicable, the accused party(ies) is/are advised of his/her/their right to representation by the union or any other appropriate representative of his/her/their choice.
Barring extenuating circumstances outside of the investigators control, the investigator will conduct a fact-finding investigation and provide a resolution, if one is possible, within ninety (90) business days of receipt of the complaint and notify all involved parties in writing whether there was a violation of Title VI. This will include notification to the complainant of his/her/their right to appeal the results to the Executive Director.
All investigation findings will be reported to the Executive Director or his/her/their designee.
Should the complainant elect to appeal the decision, he/she/they must do so in writing to the Executive Director within ten (10) business days after receipt of the complaint resolution proposed by John Miller or investigator designee. Failure to appeal within this period shall be interpreted as acceptance of this resolution.
The Executive Director or his/her/their designee will review the case to determine what, if any additional information is needed. If additional information is required from the appellant, he/she will be provided reasonable advance notice of a meeting and will be advised of his/her/their right to present relevant information at that time.
The Executive Director or his/her/their designee will render a written decision regarding the appeal, no later than thirty (30) business days from the date of the filing of the appeal which will be sent to the appellant. Should this decision differ from the findings of the investigation, it will also be sent to all parties involved and the Executive Director. The decision of the Executive Director or his/her/their designee is final. However, does not preclude the complainant from pursuing other means of resolution under federal and/or state law.
All records of complaints and dispositions thereof shall be maintained and regularly reviewed by John Miller who will pay particular attention to the detection of any patterns in the nature of the complaints. All such records shall be retained on a strictly confidential basis, except where disclosure is required by law.