Mexico Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Panama City. The population was 1,060 at the 2020 census. The community was extensively damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared the community "wiped out" in the aftermath of the hurricane's devastating impact. History Mexico Beach was incorporated in 1966. Before Hurricane Michael, "the town was "old Florida," ... a collection of 50-year-old bungalows and newer vacation homes on stilts," where tourists walked on white sand beaches. On November 22, 1985, Hurricane Kate's eye passed over Mexico Beach. Category 2 winds and tides destroyed beachfront homes and businesses. Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach on October 10, 2018, just before 1 p.m. local time with maximum sustained winds of , the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Michael made history as the third strongest (by pressure) and fourth strongest (by wind speed) landfalling storm in the continental United States. The storm caused extensive damage to the community, and to the nearby Tyndall Air Force Base. Nearly all homes were totally destroyed. Brock Long, the FEMA administrator, told CNN that Mexico Beach was "wiped out" and referred to the community as "ground zero". The elementary school and city hall were among the buildings devastated; the pier washed away, and the water tower was knocked down. A report by the State indicated that roughly 285 people in Mexico Beach had declined to evacuate the area, although some of those may have left before the peak of the storm. Three people from Mexico Beach were listed among the deaths due to the hurricane. At that time, Mayor Al Cathey told residents it might be months before electricity, water, and plumbing were restored. Geography Mexico Beach is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land, and , or 2.84%, is water. Mexico Beach is located in the Florida Panhandle. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 1,072 people, 563 households, and 320 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.1% White, 1.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0%