• The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors on Tuesday announced real estate market statistics for August, which encompass single-family residential and condo sales. There were 1,516 closed sales, a 1.7 percent increase year to date. Of that number, 914 were traditional sales and 602 were lender-mediated sales. August’s median price was $141,750 and the average sales price for the month rose to $196,294. Inventory of homes for sale dropped 30.4 percent to 8,915. By comparison, there was an inventory of 12,804 homes for sale last August. Sales are moving faster, staying on the market in August an average of 110 days and year to date an average of 113 days. Additionally, 15.6 percent of sales in August were sold for a price higher than the listing price.
• Myrick Policy Group, a local government relations services for midsize businesses to Fortune 200 corporations, assisted Marjam Supply Co. Inc. in acquiring $157,000 in grant funding from the University of West Florida. The grant is one of the first awards from a special fund set aside by the Legislature for counties disproportionately affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marjam is a New York-based company that sells construction materials to the building industry in the U.S. and Caribbean and has a Jacksonville facility.
• Lorie Zemlo has joined EverBank as a mortgage loan officer. She will offer residential mortgage solutions to customers and build awareness of EverBank’s products and programs in Northeast Florida. Zemlo is a 22-year veteran of the mortgage industry who previously worked with SunTrust Mortgage Corp., BBVA Compass and TD Bank as a senior loan officer.
• Local technology consulting firm Tri-Analytics has hired Daren Ayers and Mark Frost.
• Mayor Alvin Brown has accepted a $95,000 Defense Reinvestment Grant awarded from Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development organization. Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday announced Jacksonville as one of 11 recipients of $850,000 grant. The grant will allow the City to hire a consultant to advocate for the city at a federal level to protect and increase its military presence. Jacksonville was awarded with the third highest grant amount of the selected communities with military installations.
• An Airline Pilot Pathway Program agreement signed with ExpressJet will allow qualified Jacksonville University Davis Aviation Center students to start their commercial pilot-screening process early in their schooling. Once candidates have flown with ExpressJet, which is based in Georgia, and additional requirements are met, students also will be guaranteed an interview for pilot openings with Delta Air Lines. In the program, freshmen and sophomores will take part in a screening process similar to that used by major airlines for incoming pilots. Those meeting the requirements will have a better chance of becoming first officers with ExpressJet as jobs become available according to JU.
• Southern Ford Dealers, along with the Jacksonville community, raised money for 13,629 meals for Second Harvest North Florida after a 20-day campaign that launched the Driving Hunger Relief program. From Aug. 22 to Sept. 10, Southern Ford Dealers pledged to donate two meals for each new fan of its Facebook page, 10 meals for each new vehicle test drive and 100 meals for each new vehicle purchased. The results: more than 150 Facebook users liked the Southern Ford Dealers’ page, dealerships averaged more than 60 new vehicle test drives and sales were up 16 percent from last year. All meals donated will be distributed to more than 500 agencies throughout a 17-county region.
• A recent increase in the intake of animals has the cages at Animal Care and Protective Services at capacity. There are nearly 300 animals in the shelter, up almost 30 percent from this time last year. The organization has dozens of volunteer caregivers who regularly foster animals and then bring them back for adoption or adopt them out directly to new families. Those interested in becoming a foster caregiver can call 630-CITY or stop by the shelter at 2020 Forest St. To help reduce the population, animal care is offering all adoptions for $30 each or two for $40. Dogs and cats older than 3 years old are free.
• The latest rendition of Dine With Us Downtown will be 6:30 p.m. today at Café Nola at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The event will include a cocktail hour and special menu, with reservations recommended. Visit downtownjacksonville.org for more information. The October event will be at River City Brewing Company.
• Downtown parking has been a hot topic as of late, but Friday will feature Downtown parking of a different sort. Park(ing) Day, the one-day event that features parking sports transformed into temporary public spaces, returns Downtown in conjunction with the Sept. 21 annual worldwide event of the same name
• Stellar, a construction, design, engineering and mechanical services firm, has appointed retired Navy Capt. John Heinzel as its vice president of refrigeration services. More recently, Heinzel served as commanding officer for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, which is headquartered in Jacksonville.