Infrastructure improvements, new businesses and tourism opportunities take center stage as local leaders prepare for financial challenges ahead.
From new fire trucks and paved streets to park upgrades and a downtown hotel, communities across Jackson County had plenty of progress to share at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s November First Friday.
Cottondale: “Cottondale is changing”
Darrell Ball opened the community updates. He explained that he and his wife own a farm in Cottondale and that he does not serve on the city council, but he described major projects underway in town, including a lot of street work and new signs at the north and south ends of town.
He also invited families out to his Christmas tree farm for the season, with Santa Claus, a large light display and a train ride through the lights. “Cottondale is changing,” he said.
Graceville: millions in grant work
Michelle Watkins reported on Graceville’s progress over the past 12 months. She said the city has completed, put out to bid or is now using about $18.4 million in grant-funded projects. They include a new fire department with a fully equipped fire truck, about $13.4 million in water, sewer and stormwater work, and about $1.4 million in street paving through the Florida Department of Transportation.
Graceville has applied for downtown revitalization funding and is waiting to hear back, and it has also applied for about $200,000 for park renovations. Watkins thanked state legislators and said public-private partnerships matter. Businesses have reopened since COVID, and private contractors are building smaller homes that are selling quickly as people relocate to the area.
Two commercial projects are in the works. A chain fast-food restaurant is in state environmental permitting, and a large Dothan-based company is looking at developing a significant commercial property with a fuel and convenience store. Watkins said the city will work with county leaders to adjust to Amendment 3.
Marianna and Grand Ridge: rebuilding and growing
Kim Applewhite, who is in her 21st year as Marianna’s city clerk and has served about 20 years on the Grand Ridge Town Council, spoke for both communities.
In Grand Ridge, a town of about 800 residents, a new school is under construction and is expected to open in the 2027 school year. Applewhite thanked the school board for keeping a school in Grand Ridge. Sewer service is being extended to the interstate, with completion expected in January 2027. A new public safety and resiliency hub that will house the fire station is part of the town’s recovery from Hurricane Michael.
Grand Ridge has received about $10 million in water and sewer grants. The water projects are complete, and about $8 million in wastewater work is expected to be largely finished by the end of 2027. A citywide stormwater project of about $3.5 million is also planned. At John Thomas Porter Park, next to the school, grants are paying for stormwater work and lighting at the baseball and softball fields, the track and the walking path, and a new girls’ softball field is planned. The town also has a splash pad park, and a $200,000 grant will fund a new playground.
In Marianna, about $100 million in projects have followed Hurricane Michael, and some are still being finished. They include a new public safety building with fire, police and commission space, a resiliency hub, and water, wastewater and stormwater grants. Downtown, the Irelana hotel is projected to open around May 2027, though that timeline is tentative. To add parking, the old City Hall demolition has been bid out and is expected to begin in about 30 days. That should create about 25 to 28 spaces, alongside angled parking on Market Street and parking behind the hotel.
Malone: festivals and new businesses
Liz Jackson, representing the Malone Town Council and mayor, reported that the 13th Avenue repaving is finished and that a stormwater grant is set to close in the next couple of months. Malone is also updating its well water system and expanding Johnny Williams Park with new children’s equipment and a splash pad.
The town’s first Fourth of July festival was a success. Four or five new businesses are getting started, new homes are going up, and downtown work is moving forward slowly. Jackson thanked the volunteer firefighters, who now have a new fire department and fire truck, for giving up time with their families to protect Malone and Bascom.
She also invited residents to the Malone Pecan Festival and parade on Saturday, Nov. 21, which has drawn 7,000 to 8,000 people in past years. In December, the Optimist Club of Marianna will host its fifth annual Christmas basketball tournament, bringing young players from three states for 16 games.
Sneads: “prospering for the first time in a while”
“The town is prospering for the first time in a while,” Bill Rentz told the group as he reported for Sneads.
A $700,000 state-approved grant paid for a new fire truck, and the long-term goal is a full fire department to support the volunteers, who are on track for about 330 calls this year. A medevac helicopter pad has been used many times. Seven roads have been paved, the first in about 20 years, and two more are planned. A $5 million grant paid for water and sewer plant repairs and lift stations, and bidding is starting on a $5 million stormwater project. An $800,000 grant will buy backup generators for wells and lift stations, and FEMA funds paid for a backhoe and dump truck.
Johnson Park now sits on donated land where run-down buildings once stood, and new ball field lights will replace those lost in Hurricane Michael. The town is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lease about 55 acres at Lake Seminole for RV parks and possibly a motel and a restaurant.
Tourism: 20 ambassador spots open
Interim Tourist Development Council Director Chastity Sheffield encouraged residents to visit and support local businesses. She announced a Tourism Ambassador Program, modeled on one in Jacksonville, that teaches residents to promote the county and build professional connections. Twenty spots are available.
Economic development: growth by the numbers
Economic Development Director Darwin Gilmore reported that Jackson County’s GDP grew 4.4 percent and wages rose more than 5 percent. Working with Florida’s Great Northwest and Vision First, the county is shaping a long-term vision so infrastructure is built toward clear goals. Plans include agriculture and manufacturing task forces, a stronger support system for entrepreneurs, and opportunities to improve pricing for local growers and producers.
County budget: change ahead, but no panic
County Administrator Jim Dean said Amendment 3, which voters approved, will increase certain exemptions beginning in 2027 and cost Jackson County revenue. He noted that state and local estimates of the loss differ, and exact figures are still uncertain. The county may not need to replace all of it, he said, but “it’s going to require change.”
A special legislative session may give some relief to small counties with limited tax bases, which Dean said could “soften” the impact but “will not fix everything.” Until then, the administration and the five county commissioners are looking at a combination of savings. “Until this legislative session is over, you really, really would be premature to panic,” Dean said.
Get involved
The Chamber thanked the area’s state legislators for their grant advocacy and invited residents to join as board members, partners or ambassadors. The Chamber said a revamped website with simpler registration is expected in the next two to three weeks.
The next First Friday is February 5. Mark your calendar, come hear what’s happening in your community, and, as the Chamber put it, “reach out, participate, plug yourself in.”
