• The executive director of the Jacksonville Housing Commission says a collaborative effort with the Downtown Development Authority is still in the planning stage. Douglas Brown said the two groups will meet monthly to discuss how the JHC’s access to State and federal grants could help bring low–cost housing to residence–starved areas like Brooklyn.
• Barbara J. Pariente has been unanimously elected Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice for a two-year term beginning July 1. She will be Florida’s 51st chief justice since statehood was granted in 1845 and only the second woman to lead Florida courts. Pariente will take the oath of office at an official “Passing of the Gavel” ceremony that will be held July 2. She replaces current Chief Justice Harry Lee Anstead.
• Despite his untimely departure last month, the City Council will introduce legislation next week honoring the work of former Library director Ken Sivulich.
• Though nearly $15,000 was approved by the City Council to fund a master plan for improvements at Metropolitan Park, director of Parks and Recreation Bob Baughman reminded the Council that much of the work to be done, including a new stage, dressing rooms and seating, would not be completed until long after the Super Bowl. Baughman said it would be “several years” before everything was finished.
• The mayor’s office is polling its departments to determine how much correspondence is going out under the mayor’s letterhead. Written Communications Director Susan Pelter told department heads that she wants to know how much letterhead to order and also wants to prevent unauthorized use of the mayor’s name. “Nothing should go out over the mayor’s signature that I don’t see first. Period,” Pelter wrote in an e-mail.
• According to the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund has just over $8.7 million remaining from its original $25 million balance. There’s about $4 million left for both small businesses and infrastructure improvements. All of the facade improvement money has been spent and there’s just $62,000 left for large-scale projects. There’s still $950,000 left to incentivize a small business corridor.
• The Deferred Retirement Option Program is hitting the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department hard this year, but JSO personnel director Michael Edwards said the unprecedented wave of retirements should settle after a year or two. The JSO will have to replace 93 officers this year and will average 52 retirements from 2005 to 2007 before the projected number drops to 11 in 2008. Before the DROP, Edwards said the JSO lost an average of two to three officers per month.
• The Main Street Bridge will be closed for repairs, starting tonight at 7 p.m. and running through 6 o’clock Monday morning. The bridge will be closed again from Thursday to Monday next week and again in April.