Panama City Beach City Manager Richard Jackson Retires Pt 2 - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

It's no secret that nobody knows you better than your family and friends.

As Panama City Beach City Manager, Richard Jackson retires, two familiar faces aren't afraid to dish out a few jabs on his expense.

News 13 sat down with former Panama City Beach Mayor, Philip Griffitts, and current Mayor, Gayle Oberst, for a trip down memory lane.

It was quite the trip; filled with years of stories, smiles, and lots of laughs.

"Each morning I go in Richard's office and I say, "Is everything ok? Is there anything I need to know?"  And he'll look you straight in the face and say, "no." I told him that I intended to go home one day and find out the whole city had burned and he just didn't think I need to know it," laughed Oberst.

That's how the interview started. Jackson sat patiently with a smirk on his face while his friends poked a little fun.

Next, it was Griffitts' turn.

"I was going to tell you about the time that he and I were in...No, I can't tell you about that one...Or where we were...No, I can't tell you about that one either" evaded Griffitts.

While Griffitts edited himself for the press, he did pull one story from the archives that had the table rolling.

There was the time when the retention pond right here behind City Hall and he had a new van and we had gone up to a bunch of guys. We had gone out of town.We had come back and said the pond wasn't deep enough. He [Jackson] said it was and proceeds to drive through it with his van and we had to be pulled out with a wrecker out of the retention pond," laughed Griffitts.

There were also the stories that the humble Jackson doesn't share, though his friends made a point to spread them around.

"We scholarship children over at Frank Brown Park. Any children who can't play ball, the folks don't have money to buy uniforms, that sort of thing, we scholarship them. And anytime anyone comes over and lets Richard know about that, he says, "I'll take care of it." And many times, he takes care of it out of his own pocket" said Oberst.

Though Jackson is still going to be around town, he's still going to be missed around the office, even those that aren't in the office themselves anymore.

"He's a very caring person. He cares about the community, the people that are here, and, like the mayor said, when somebody is in trouble needing help, all you have to do is call him. He may not make it public but he's always there for them," said Griffitts.

Jackson is currently helping transition the city's new City Manager, Mario Gisbert, for the time being.

His friends say he's left a legacy they will never forget.