By Kenneth Books
The longest-serving city manager in Florida will leave office Aug. 1 after 52 years on the job.
Lannie Corbin, 80, who was first hired as city clerk in 1971, then made city manager two years later, said he wants to travel with his wife and do other things on his bucket list while they’re still young enough to enjoy them. “I’m getting to the age that if I don’t take advantage now, I’ll be too old,” he said.
Lannie said he has no concrete agenda for his post-retirement years, but “as we get closer, we’ll start putting together some plans.”
As he winds down the final months of his career, Lannie can look back on an enviable track record. He replaced a tiny city hall with an attractive complex that includes one of the area’s best libraries, a children’s play park, police and fire stations and a softball complex.
Under his tutelege, a large water tank was placed in the center of the softball fields and stands as a city landmark to this day. Under the tank are concession stands, offices and an observation area. An out-of-business skating rink was converted to a 121,000-square-foot community center. And the list goes on.
Lannie says one of his proudest achievements was the construction of a boardwalk by Turkey Creek. A bank sat on the Turkey Creek location, but it began sinking, because the builder failed to put pilings underneath. So, the bank offered to sell the property to Niceville for $100,000 ($574,081.48 in today’s economy). Grants were obtained and the boardwalk was constructed, using all in-house labor. It’s given the whole area a chance to see nature at its best,” he said.
But, he said, he’s proudest of “bringing Niceville from a small town without a lot of direction to one of the best communities in Northwest Florida. It takes teamwork, but someone has to lead.”
It wasn’t always easy. In fact, among his many successes, one disappointment stands out as the most galling.
In 1982, officials of the Bluewater Bay area wanted to bring the entire property into the city and the measure was approved in each of the first two readings. But in the third reading, it was voted down by a 3-1 margin. “It was a real disappointment, because we had worked really closely with people who wanted to bring it in,” Lannie said. “But maybe it’s for the best.”
Early on, Lannie had to get things done by the skin of his teeth, as some members of City Council opposed him. “I was hired on a 3-2 vote,” he said. The first two or three years, two people were against me and everything was 3-2. To survive that and last 52 years is remarkable.”
