One to Watch: John Finch

By Gwen R. Break

Starting with only two vans in 2002, John Finch has built Sunshine Shuttle and Limousine into a fleet of buses, vans, limousines and sedans.Southwest Airlines at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and Vision Airlines at Northwest Florida Regional Airport have tapped Sunshine to provide the ground transportation for their flight personnel. Finch is also partnering with the travel giant Bookit.com in Panama City Beach as a component in the online agency’s local travel packages.  How he wants to add the 30-A Trolley Service to his lineup of transportation options. Although initially delayed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Finch successfully won approval of the trolley deal from local authorities in June 2011. He is working with area businesses and the Walton County Tourist Development Council to establish what he believes will be a transportation system to make travel on CR 30A safer and easier for residents and tourists alike. His plans are to be fully operational in 2012.“My company is green friendly,” says Finch. “One trolley takes as many as 30 cars off the road. That not only keeps cars from burning fuel, but it also keep drivers from behind the wheel who may be impaired.”  

Originally from Memphis, Tenn., the 40-something entrepreneur refuses to say exactly how old he is but his first success was 33 Degrees, a highly sought-after line of New York street wear. After selling the company in the 1990s, he moved to south Walton County, where he had vacationed frequently.

Reservations, prices, photos and route maps are available at sunshineshuttle.com.