Port St. Joe’s new Taco Bell is open for business

On Monday morning, the highly anticipated new Taco Bell in Port St. Joe officially opened its doors to the public.

The Taco Bell is located at the intersection of Highway 98 and Avenue B, near the New Bethel AME Church.

Jim McKnight, the director of the Gulf County Economic Development Coalition said that increasing interest in Gulf County locations among big chanis, like Taco Bell, show a growing economic base within the community.

“We are excited by the opening of the Taco Bell in Port St. Joe and the impending opening of Burger King in Wewahitchka,” he said. “These restaurants give our tourists and locals more culinary options, they create entry level jobs and they expand the base of our economy.”

“Admittedly job creation is a double edged sword on the south end of Gulf County where the demand for service sector workers is high and wages are increasing dramatically,” he continued.  “That said, I couldn’t be more happy with the opening of Taco Bell, as it is my favorite fast food restaurant.”