• In preparation for his duties as chief financial officer, Dan Kleman is asking the City’s finance staff to suggest improvements. “I can’t guarantee that every suggestion will be followed, but I can guarantee that every one will be considered,” he said.
• Independent Square has a new tenant. The law firm of Holbrook, Akel, Cold, Stifel and Ray, P.A. signed a lease for almost 8,000 square feet.
• There’s a new Mexican restaurant in Springfield. Ole opened recently on Main Street across from Confederate Park, and they’ve already brightened the area, painting the building orange and green.
• The road to the Super Bowl will begin with a free concert by a nationally known performer on Sept. 9 at Metropolitan Park. The performer will be named at a later date. Sponsored by Coors and other NFL partners, the concert is being staged by the NFL, the Super Bowl Host Committee and the City. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m., with music and festivities running through 9 p.m. Portions of the concert will be televised live nationally as part of “Opening Kickoff,” from 8 to 9 p.m. on Ch. 25.
• Ever wonder what a moon rock looks like? The Museum of Science & History will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the lunar landing with a program Saturday from 10 a.m- 5 p.m., and they’ll have some moon rocks on display.
• The owners of the old Barnett Bank Building on West Adams Street and the Churchwell Building on Bay Street will seek landmark status for their buildings at the July 28 meeting of the Jacksonville Historic Commission. The public hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Committee Room A at City Hall.
• As the Super Bowl approaches, one of Mayor John Peyton’s top concerns is the run down Talleyrand corridor that will serve as the gateway to the City for thousands of visitors staying on cruise ships. “I don’t know how we’re going to overcome that,” he said. “It’s not a particularly scenic vista.”
• Asked at Monday’s Rotary Club meeting about his proudest year-one accomplishment, Mayor Peyton answered “survival.” He said he was proudest of the way he’d taken care of tax dollars, including turning down Toney Sleiman’s request for more than $50 million to renovate the Landing and holding the line on the new Duval County Courthouse’s cost. “It may cost me re-election, but I’m proud of the decisions we’ve made,” he said.
• Upon hearing a joking reference to local attorney and Democratic backer Henry Coxe smoking during halftime of pickup basketball games, Peyton deadpanned, “I guess the question my Democratic friend is, ‘Did you inhale?’ “