About 100 people, from State Representative Patt Maney and City Council Members to representatives from Ruckel Properties and Valparaiso Real Estate Company, gathered to celebrate the christening of the Niceville City Government Complex after former City Manager Lannie Corbin. 

Corbin retired last August to accolades and fanfare for this 52-year service as city manager of Niceville. After his retirement, the members of the Niceville City Council voted unanimously to name the complex in his honor. 

During his time as the city’s top appointed official, Corbin saw the population of the city quadruple. He also worked to aggressively expand the corporate limits of the city to where they are today.

Niceville Library Director Sheila Bishop started working for Corbin and the city when she was 17 years old. She says the 47 years she worked with him gave her a front-row seat to an amazing leader in action. “I don’t think I could have worked for anybody that I have respected more,” Bishop said. “He not only took care of the citizens, he took care of the employees.” 

Before he cut the ribbon on the sign that bears his name, Corbin told the crowd his favorite story – the one about his first council meeting as city manager in Niceville. “The first decision the city council made as the fire the volunteer fire chief,” Corbin said to a chorus of laughs, “But 52 years later, I’m still here. And one of the things I did that made it happen was, I was good at hiring good people. Piece of advice: good people make you look good.”

Corbin thanked the Ruckel and Byrne Families for their help in expanding the city limits over the last half century. “That made the difference,” Corbin concluded. 

More About Former Niceville City Manager, Lannie Corbin

Former Niceville City Manager Lannie Corbin was born in Alabama. His father moved the family to the Niceville area when Lannie was a small child to work at Eglin Air Force Base. 

Corbin grew up in the area and returned before his 30th birthday to serve as Niceville’s City Manager. In his more than 50 years as the city council’s appointed leader of staff, Corbin was able to annex land, grow the population, and help lure in local businesses. 

Corbin served a one-year term as the president of the Niceville Chamber and helped to create the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, which operated on Columbus Day Weekend in October for 43 years before it ended in 2019.