• Mayor-elect John Peyton will announce his transition team at 11 a.m. today. In addition to JEA CEO Walt Bussells, the team will include Carol Thompson, Ron Townsend, Bobby Stein, Ronnie Ferguson, Cindy Edelman, Jake Godbold, Pete Jackson, Mike Hightower, Ashton Hudson and Ted Hires.
• For attorneys hoping to use the drop box at the federal courthouse for last minute filings, be aware that even though the box is open until 7 p.m., the building closes at 6 p.m.
• Look for Sam Mousa to return to City Hall in a major position. He’s now the City’s chief administrative officer and was considering a job in private industry, but Mayor-elect John Peyton and his top adviser, Walt Bussells, talked Mousa into a return.
• The City Hall security force is on the ball. When Peyton arrived Friday afternoon, they didn’t make him get a visitor’s badge. Since the campaign, said an aide, “everyone knows him.”
• Happy birthday to one of our community’s super volunteers, Doug Milne. He was 60 on Saturday, and celebrated with pals at an oceanfront home.
• Local Episcopalians have a new bishop-elect who’s also an attorney. They elected the Rev. John Howard of Trinity Church in New York City (yes, the one next to the World Trade Center) in the fourth ballot over Ellis Brust, a canon at the cathedral downtown. Howard, who takes over when Bishop Steve Jecko retires in a few years, is a grad of the Wake Forest law school and was a practicing attorney before entering the ministry.
• The surgeon strike may be winding down and we hear some Baptist docs will return from their “vacation” today. Word is that State Sen. Jim King made a few calls and assured them that something would be done about malpractice insurance reform.
• City Council is considering an ordinance that would pay for a flagpole and American flag at each branch of our public library system. The funds — $23,743.20 — will come from the Council reserves.
• What’s former Mayor Ed Austin doing these days? In addition to enjoying retirement, the 78-year-old Austin is taking skeet shooting lessons.
• The new Council members were seated in alphabetical order around the semicircular dias at Friday’s special meeting and Mike Corrigan looked like he was out in right field. As the first in the alphabet, he got the first vacated seat on the right and the next seat was unoccupied, as Suzanne Jenkins didn’t attend. Daniel Davis, meanwhile, lucked out — he got to sit next to Council President Jerry Holland. They’ll all shuffle when they officially take office — incoming President Lad Daniels will assign seats.
• Casa Monica in St. Augustine has made the list in the Historic Hotels of America 2003 Directory. Published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the guide lists in excess of 190 hotels that have well-maintained their historic integrity.
• Jaguars Coach Jack Del Rio is in his new Ortega digs. Lots of moving vans were in and out over the last few days.