Civil Municipal - April 2024

state-run prison facilities and Jackson Hospital, are significant contributors to the local economy. City Manager, William Long, emphasizes the community’s strong ties to agriculture, noting that Marianna is an area that was once dominated by small family-run operations. “There’s not that many small family farms anymore,” he explains. “The farms are all large, and it takes that kind of growth, and that kind of land to make a profit.” Marianna is home to cattle ranches, including Bar L Ranch, owned by Herman Laramore, and other extensive farming operations, producing crops such as peanuts and cotton, as well as a wood plant that employs 100 people. The presence of a Family Dollar distribution center, another main employer, further reflects Marianna’s economic diversity. “It employs around 800 people from all over Jackson County and all over the area,” Mayor Roberts conveys. In addition, Roberts shares plans for expansion at Marianna Municipal Airport, describing,“It has almost a brand new building there that does traffic control and everything. We have extended that runway recently. It has a 6000-foot runway, which is a long runway for a little Municipal Airport.” Acting as an army air base during WW2, and later a training facility for pilots during the Vietnam War, the airport has a military history. Long adds that the facility offers military fueling and has intentions to expand on this. Further plans include a flight training program. “We believe there’s sufficient interest in the area among young people. There’s some talk about partnering this program with Chipola College.We’re ready to bring people, bring money, bring economic development to our community, and we think the standing up of this flight training program will help,” he says. EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE Chipola College has been a valuable part of the city since 1947. Long recounts,“It began as a community college, but now Chipola offers several four-year 136 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 04