• The Jacksonville Port Authority announced the berths for five cruise ships to be stationed around the City as floating hotels and entertainment venues for the Super Bowl: Radisson Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator will tie up outside the Adam’s Mark Hotel; Three Holland America ships, the Volendam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam will dock at Jaxport’s Talleyrand terminal, about two miles north of downtown; and the Carnival Miracle will dock at the Hecksher Drive temporary cruise terminal. The Miracle and Seven Seas Navigator will arrive Wednesday Feb. 2, with the others following later in the week. All ships are scheduled to leave Monday.
• Adding to entertainment options for the Georgia-Florida weekend, Pro Players, a Texas-based charitable organization comprising professional athletes, announced last week they will be hosting an event called “Fan Zone” at The Shipyards near Alltel Stadium. Pro Players spokesperson Tim Klund said the two-day event will feature the Florida finals of the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Pageant and live music from several bands, including Smash Mouth.
• The Jacksonville International Airport will hold a ceremony Monday Nov. 8, to officially unveil its recently redesigned courtyard area. Students from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, who designed the new floor, will also be honored.
• City Council member Jerry Holland had a good way to break the ice at a press conference Friday to announce his candidacy for Supervisor of Elections. He told a room full of reporters he came to talk about the hotly debated County Courthouse, instead.
• Speaking of the courthouse, the City Council’s special committee reviewing that topic has invited a long list of guest speakers to its meeting today. Among them, former Mayor John Delaney, Council auditor Richard Wallace and representatives from the steel and concrete industries may appear.
• The City’s Human Resources Division is hiring supplemental employees to answer phones for the Supervisor of Elections Office. City employees will be shifted from their regular daily duties to answer elections calls from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays and 12:20 to 5:30 on weekends. A city spokesperson said it will be similar to the hotline set up to answer hurricane questions.
• The Jaguars promoted Tim Connolly to take over the marketing as well as sales duties. he joined the organization in 2003 and will handle the job that opened when Dan Connell resigned before the season. Connell, by the way, says her’s taking it easy but hints that he’ll be on a new job soon.
• Pro golfer David Duval is back in town. He and his dad, Bob, will play an exhibition to benefit Special Olympics today at a local private club. Duval, who grew up here, now spends his time in Colorado.
• The convention bureau has a going-away party of its outgoing director, Kitty Ratcliffe, on Wednesday the stadium. She’s taking a big job in New Orleans.