• In the future, Duval County Circuit and County Courts may be allowed to impose an additional cost of $65 for guilty pleas and rulings. The reason? City Council member Elaine Brown said the money will help fund legal aid, various juvenile programs and the law library.
• City Council receptionist Robin White will be out for several weeks while on medical leave. In her absence, Wanda Grant is helping staff the front desk.
• Three new tenants have been added at Beaver Street Enterprise Center, a core-city business incubator in Jacksonville. The three are Affordable Lending Source Inc., a mortgage company; Jaguar Security, Inc., which provides both security systems and staff to businesses; and With a Touch of Elegance, a wholesale distributor of packaged garments and accessories to retailers.
• Gate Petroleum is the highest-place local firm this year in Florida Trend magazine’s annual ranking of privately-owned companies in the state. Gate is 21st, just ahead of The Haskell Company and Acosta Sales and Marketing. Others in the top 100 are Stellar Group (37th,) Mac Papers (38th,) King Provision (39th,) Beaver Street Fisheries (51st,) Summit Contractors (60th,) and Suddath Companies (84th.)
• Since the mayor announced his policy not to have construction going during the Super Bowl, the City has delayed several projects until after the game. However, the mayor’s office is making it clear that it wants the Bay Street Towncenter streetscape improvements finished before kick off. Chief Operating Officer Dan Kleman said in an e-mail that “it is NOT acceptable that this project be unfinished at Super Bowl.”
• Former LaVilla School of the Arts Principal Jane Condon asked for Mayor Peyton’s support in her race to unseat incumbent Kris Barnes from her District 3 seat on the school board. However, mayor’s office spokesperson Heather Murphy said the mayor will stay out of the school board races. He won’t be offering endorsements to any of the candidates.
• Jacksonville will soon have a new sister city. San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Jorge Santini told Mayor Peyton that he will will soon travel to Jacksonville to cement the new relationship.
• The upcoming vacancy in the Ch. 47 sports director post (incumbent Ryan Elijah is returning to his Midwest roots) has drawn interest from several locals including radio sportscasters Barry Milligan and Cole Pepper. One whose name has been mentioned but won’t get it: Ch. 12/25 No. 2 sportscaster (after Dan Hicken) Jeff Prosser, who’s under contract for another year.