A Look Into Liberty County
On Thursday, March 11, Matt Doster and Rob Palmer met with Johnny Eubanks, the Director of
- Lowest unemployment rate in the state – 7.5% unemployment
- Most of the workers commute to Tallahassee
- Liberty County sits halfway between Tallahassee and Panama City
Among the natural beauty of the county it also has a steady business community. Georgia Pacific manufactures oriented strand board, a plywood substitute. It is a key employer and taps into one of the largest natural resources – wood. Over half of Liberty County is covered by Apalachicola National Forest, which creates a unique challenge of maintaining the natural resources in the area, while keeping the families of the county working. Another employer is Liberty Correctional Institution in Bristol operated by the State of Florida, which employs over three hundred workers. There are also multiple power companies operating within the county providing an additional employer for city residences. While there are many additional small businesses and companies operating in Liberty County, the above three companies illustrate the economic diversity that is found in this rural county. This is one aspect of the patchwork that makes the Liberty community successful.
Under Eubanks’ leadership, the Chamber of Commerce maintains a strong relationship with Enterprise Florida, as well as regional partners such as Opportunity Florida, Florida’s Great Northwest, and Our Region Tomorrow. Each of these organizations plays a role in the economic vision and continuity of business growth in the community and Liberty’s Chamber of Commerce is continually seeking opportunities for job growth in these challenging economic times.
Eubanks is also the Chairman for Opportunity Florida, an economic development organization committed to growing the regional economy and is made up by an eight county regional economic alliance: Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty and Washington counties. The region was classified by Enterprise Florida a Rural Areas of Economic Concern (RACEC) and it is one of three in the state of Florida. It was the first RACEC to be established in the state of Florida. The primary mission of Opportunity Florida is to create opportunities for workers and businesses within the region. See the map below for the three RACEC areas in the state.
It is encouraging to see the efforts Liberty County is making to keep businesses in the area, attract new businesses, and foster economic growth. Here are additional links for further information.
Liberty County Commission
Liberty County Chamber Businesses
Enterprise Florida
