Regency Towers is a 14-story, 340-unit condominium right on the Gulf at 5801 Thomas Drive, near the eastern tip of Panama City Beach. It comes with 560 feet of private beach. The current Regency Towers listings are in the search above. Below is what I'd want a buyer to know about this specific building before writing an offer.
View Regency Towers Condos for Sale Call or Text Roger: 850-596-5844
Regency Towers is on the Thomas Drive strip between the Gulf and Grand Lagoon, away from the Front Beach Road traffic. Coming from the Hathaway Bridge, you take Thomas Drive south, stay right at the curve, and the building is on the Gulf side. By car, the St. Andrews State Park entrance is roughly 2 miles east. Pier Park is about 9 miles west. To see the beach in front of the building, the resort has its own beach web camera on its website.
This end of the beach has a cluster of older Gulf-front towers, and buyers often tour several of them in one day. Nearby buildings I cover include Moonspinner (4425 Thomas Dr), The Commodore (4715), Treasure Island (5004), Watercrest (6201), Mariner East (6211), Princess (6415), Summerhouse (6505) and Pelican Walk (6905). For everything on the road, see my Thomas Drive condos and homes guide.
Regency Towers has four floor plans. Square footage comes from county records and listings, so check the exact unit's record before you rely on it.
The view depends on which part of the building you're in. The center of the tower faces straight out to the Gulf. The side wings look east or west down the shoreline. On the same floor, a Gulf-front unit and a side-view unit can be priced and rented very differently, so I compare them side by side before we talk numbers.
Here's what the resort currently lists on site:
Cafe hours and seasonal services change, so check with the front desk if one of these matters to you.
Regency Towers runs its own on-site rental program. The rental office is on the property. It handles reservations, check-in, housekeeping, maintenance and the rental paperwork and taxes for owners in the program. The resort publishes its split as 20% commission to the program and 80% to the owner. Owners get 5% off the commission when they refer a booking.
The rental office's booking site currently lists these rules for guests:
Rental managers also tell guests they pay a resort registration fee at check-in that covers parking passes and pool bands. Some owners rent through outside companies instead of the on-site program, so ask which one a unit uses and get its actual rental statements.
Because the building is outside city limits, the City of Panama City Beach's vacation rental registration doesn't apply here. Bay County has its own short-term rental certificate, but the county currently exempts high-rise condo units from it. You still need a Florida DBPR vacation rental license, or coverage under the rental program's license (ask which). You also need to collect Florida sales tax and Bay County tourist development tax. As of October 1, 2026, the tourist tax is handled by the Bay County Tax Collector instead of the Clerk. For the bigger picture on renting a condo here, see my post on renting out a condo here
The 2025 to 2026 repair project. The resort posted a schedule for walkway upgrades and exterior spalling repairs, worked wing by wing and floor by floor. It started in October 2025 and called for a final walkthrough in March 2026. The West Wing schedule was listed as "to be determined." Ask whether all four sections are finished, what the work cost, and whether it was paid from reserves, a loan or a special assessment.
Milestone inspection and SIRS. Florida's milestone inspection law covers condo buildings three stories and taller once they reach 30 years old, and Regency Towers passed that point long ago. The building also falls under the structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) requirement. I couldn't find either report posted publicly. Ask for both, plus any repair recommendations and how the board plans to fund them. Since the building is in unincorporated Bay County, the county's building department, not the city, is the local office for milestone inspections. My milestone inspection and SIRS guide explains the deadlines.
Flood zone. FEMA's current flood map (panel 12005C0319J, effective October 24, 2024) shows the Gulf side of the property in a VE coastal high-hazard zone with a 14-foot base flood elevation. The Thomas Drive side maps as zone X. Ask how the association's master flood policy is set up, and talk to an insurance agent about your own unit policy early. More on this in Panama City Beach and 30A flood zones.
Dues and what they cover. Get the current budget and the dues for the exact floor plan you're looking at, and see what's included. Insurance has pushed condo dues up across the beach, and an older building with a big master policy feels it.
Financing. Ask your lender up front whether they've closed loans at Regency Towers recently. Some lenders won't finance a building that's in the middle of major repairs or has a large share of rental units. See warrantable vs. non-warrantable condos.
The general condo homework still applies here too: the association documents, the reserves and the rental history for the specific unit. I keep that checklist in one place on my Panama City Beach condos for sale page so you don't have to read it twice.
Active Regency Towers listings show in the search near the top of this page and update from the MLS. If nothing there fits, tell me the floor plan, view and price range you want. I'll watch for new listings and units that come back on the market. You can also search current Regency Towers condos on the map.
Buyers here ask three things right away: which wing and view the unit has, whether it's in the on-site rental program (and what it booked), and where the repair project and any assessment stand. Having those answers ready helps a listing stand out from the other Regency units for sale. If you're thinking about selling, start with a home value request and I'll pull recent Regency Towers sales for your floor plan.
5801 Thomas Drive (ZIP 32408), directly on the Gulf, roughly 2 miles by road from the St. Andrews State Park entrance.
It has 14 floors, 340 condos and 3 elevators.
It was built in two phases. The association dates to 1975, and the second 170-unit section was recorded in 1981. Records show 1975 or 1982 depending on the unit.
No. Bay County's boundary map puts it in unincorporated Bay County, even though the mailing address says Panama City Beach.
Yes. The building runs an on-site rental program, and some owners use outside managers. Guests booking through the on-site office must be 25 or older, and the office lists a 4-night minimum from May 23 to August 4. Read the current condo documents for any owner rental rules before you buy.
The on-site rental program does not allow pets for guests. Owners should get the association's current pet rules in writing before buying.
They vary by floor plan and change with each budget. Ask for the current dues for the exact unit and what they include before you make an offer.
Looking at a Regency unit? I'm Roger Rietsema with Allison James Estates & Homes, selling here since 2003. My cell is 850-596-5844.
Building facts were checked on October 8, 2026, against the following sources:
If anything above has changed since I wrote it, the association's latest documents control.
