Iris Williamson is the new face at the mayor’s front door. Williamson transferred to the fourth floor after 11 months at the City link answering service. Williamson replaced Latheria Shavers, who now works for Chief Operating Officer Dan Kleman.
• Developer Preston Haskell asked Public Works Director Lynn Westbrook for help making the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art more accessible. Haskell asked if construction on the new Main Library could accommodate the opening of one lane of Duval Street, and if a portion of the garage could be made available to Museum patrons. “While this is not as convenient to the library contractor as having the street fully closed, it would seem to be a reasonable balance between the interests of the museum and the library contractor,” Haskell wrote in a letter.
• AM-690 will hold a private VIP reception March 20 at the Omni for conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, the station’s newest addition. Hannity will give a speech and answer questions.
• It might be pretty lively tonight when T-U columnist Ron Littlepage and former Downtown Development Authority executive director Frank Nero debate public vs. private financing of Jacksonville’s redevelopment projects. The debate, which is hosted by the Urban Land Institute, runs from 5-7 p.m. at The River Club. Architect Jack Diamond is the moderator. Cost is $35 for ULI members, $25 for public officials and $15 for students.
• A ceremony will be held Friday at the Jacksonville Housing Authority to honor Simon Mosely for his 50 years of service with the organization. Former Mayor Jake Godbold will be on hand to congratulate Mosely, who worked in clerical support for housing. Ronnie Ferguson, JHA president and CEO, will present Mosely with a plaque. The ceremony starts at 2 p.m.
• Seminole Mayor Dottie Reeder asked for Mayor John Peyton’s support for an initiative to review Florida’s sales tax exemptions. As president of Florida League of Cities, Reeder is pushing a constitutional amendment that would require the State Legislature to review every 10 years exemptions on food, drugs, health services, residential rent and property sales. Reeder said there are 440 exemptions on the books that cost the State about $25 billion each year. Florida collects about $17.5 billion in sales taxes annually.
• Mayor Peyton will join City Council Finance Committee chair Warren Alvarez and the Library Board of Trustees Tuesday to celebrate the start of construction on the Maxville Branch Library.
• The opening of the Range of the Jaguars exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo set an attendance record with almost 17,000 visitors last weekend. That surpasses the 15,517 visitors who attended the opening weekend of the Zoo’s Australia exhibit in 2002.