• Former University of Florida head football coach Steve Spurrier has confirmed that he’ll be at Friday’s Gator Bowl Hall of Fame luncheon but he won’t be riding in the parade that afternoon. Spurrier, now head coach at South Carolina, is one of four to be inducted into the Hall.
• The first endorsements are in for the Feb. 15 elections. The firefighters like Jerry Holland for Supervisor of Elections and Ronnie Fussell and Mike Hancock for the two City Council seats.
• Must be someone out there with a camera. The Briefcase Brigade will march in the Gator Bowl Parade on New Year’s Eve but is bemoaning the fact that no one took good tapes, or even still pictures, of them last year. Joe Snowberger is looking for a volunteer and he’s at 476-7861.
• 43 children at Families First, an affordable housing and community service initiative, received gifts and a visit from Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer last week. The gifts included school supplies and educational gifts collected by the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association over the past few weeks. Spicer helped deliver the supplies and gave autographed Santa hats to the children.
• The City’s General Counsel’s Office poked a little fun at City Council member Daniel Davis recently. Because Davis, who serves as floor leader during Council meetings, frequently borrows pencils to take notes and record votes, the OGC had a gross made with “Floor Leader Davis” printed on their sides. They’ve been passed out all over City Hall.
• Council member Art Shad is working on legislation that would tighten restrictions related to towing on private property. Largely unregulated right now, the bill would limit fines incurred by drivers who have had their vehicles towed.
• According to the Mayor’s Office, more than 1,400 Duval County students have read enough books to become eligible to win prizes in the Reading Super Bowl. Prizes include a day working with Mayor John Peyton, 200 NFL Experience tickets and a day cruise on a yacht around the city. The contest will continue for another three weeks.
• FM-89.9 finally has landed an African-American talk show to full the gap left when Tony Cox couldn’t reach a contracutal agreement with NPR News. Ed Gordon will host a new public affairs show that will air weekdays at 8 p.m. beginning in late January. It’s a national show.