Remembering Don Crisp: His impact on Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Donald Crisp left a legacy in Bay County. Raised in Marianna, Crisp moved to Panama City in the early 1970's.
He got involved in community service with the Panama City Jaycees. Crisp founded the Bay County Land and Abstract title company and was involved in thousands of land transactions.
He also had a title plant, knowing the history of each parcel in the community.
'If you had a question about a piece of property and there was a title issue he was brilliant. He was brilliant. He could tell you the history of just about every single piece of property in town. And most of the people that are in the title business now either trained under or worked for Don Crisp,' Businessman Allan Bense said.
Crisp became very involved in the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and served 1 term as chairman. Retired Chamber President Carol Roberts met Crisp in the 70s, saying he played a vital role in the county's growth and development through his community involvement.
Bay County mourns death of the honorable community leader Don Crisp
She says his passion, his ability to build spirit in organizations, and the recruitment of like-minded people was second to none. Roberts says the community has lost a true leader, whose legacy and foundation will affect many generations to come.
As Chairman of the Committee of 100, Crisp kicked off the 'Share the Future' program, raising over a million dollars for economic development. It remains Bay County's only economic development incentive fund.
For his contributions, the chamber named Crisp the 1995 Lauren Merriam Award winner, the chamber's highest honor. Local businessman and former Florida House Speaker Allan Bense first met Crisp in the 70s as well.
'Don was the type of guy that loved to talk. And if you wanted to find out what was going on around town, just take Donald Crisp to lunch and you would find out real quick, like what was going on. Everyone respected him. We liked him,' Bense said.
Crisp served on the Port Panama City Authority Board, the Gulf Coast State College Board of Trustees, and the college's foundation. Tom Neubauer says Crisp had a major influence on Gulf Coast State College.
'Don was one of the first people that tapped me as a young person and said, hey, I want you to get involved in the community. And then he led by example, you know, with the Chamber of Commerce, the Committee of 100, the Port Authority Board, the Airport Authority. He actually did everything he could to make this a better place,' ERA Neubauer Real Estate President Tom Neubauer said.
Crisp may be best remembered for his work on the Bay County International Airport Authority. In the late 90s, the Federal Aviation Administration was trying to force the county to bring the old airport up to safety standards by lengthening the main runway into North Bay.
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'The Florida Cabinet at that time shut it down. So there's going to be no expansion. So they started looking for other solutions. And this is when talks began and the new site had been located. I mean, literally, he negotiated the deal with the Saint Joe Company for the property where the airport sits today,' Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said.
In 2001, George Washington University Aviation Institute named Crisp a 'Captain of American Aviation.' Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened in 2010 and has become an economic driver for the entire panhandle.
'Don never gave up in trying to contribute to the community. It didn't matter how he felt or how hard he had to work. He stayed plugged in to all of his commitments,' Neubauer said.
'I just like Don, when he walked in, he had a smile and he was just easy to get along with. And I don't think we ever had a crossword,' Bense said.
Don Crisp's funeral is scheduled for 2:00 this Saturday afternoon at St. Andrews Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, his family is requesting donations be made to the Don Crisp Endowed Scholarship at Florida State University's Panama City campus.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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