• Susan Demato will replace Gillian Baker as executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Demato, who is currently an informational specialist at the Council, has worked with Baker for over two years.
• The Taxation, Revenue and Utilization of Expenditures Commission has made a series of recommendations for the sheriff’s office, following a recent audit. Among the suggestions: officers in the JSO’s investigative division have a credit card issued in their name, or in a “fictitious name” if they use the card in direct performance of their duties. The commission believes it will eliminate large amounts of cash being handled and provide a better paper trail for future audits.
• The license plate on UNF president John Delaney’s SUV: UNF 1.
• Community Connections is holding its annual meeting today at 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral.
• The final speaker in the Wolfson series is next week and it took a while for organizers to get her name right. She’s now Kerri Kennedy — previous advertising had her last name as Cuomo, but that disappeared in a divorce.
• The Otis Smith Kids Foundation debuted its first Sea Cows for Kids manatee statues Monday morning. “Spirit” was delivered to Shay Nicola, a teacher at Northwestern Middle School, from Mugwump Productions on Kings Avenue.
• The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association is hosting its monthly lunch meeting Feb. 4 at River City Brewing Co. School Board chair Martha Barrett is the speaker. Cost is $18 for members, $23 for non-members. RSVP to Heather Collins at 355-2233 before Friday.
• A little corner of the city gets some publicity in the February edition of “Travel & Leisure” magazine. On page 49 is a nice picture and a short article about The Inn at Oak Street, a bed-and-breakfast in Riverside, which is featured as the Inn of the Month.
• Under the terms of an agreement between the sheriff’s office and the Jacksonville Port Authority, when a cruise ship is docked here, JSO marine officers must be present to monitor activities until it leaves. Currently working its way through the City Council is an ordinance appropriating over $15,000 from the Port Authority to pay for all JSO overtime personnel and operating supplies during that time.