• JSA Architects, Interiors, Planners has recently expanded its Jacksonville office with five new employees. As part of an overall business expansion, JSA has hired Jerry L Friley III as a job captain, Courtney Mangum and April Blackwood as intern architects, Paula Verden as a student intern architect and Heather Burrell as an administrative assistant.
• For those headed to the Belz outlet mall in St. Augustine, the Nike store has moved from the east portion of the mall to the west side.
• City government offices are closed this Friday and Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday as well as Jan. 2 for New Year’s. City Hall, the Annex, the Yates Building and others will all be closed.
• An ordinance is working its way through City Council that would execute an agreement between the City and a company called Orbital Enhancements Association, Inc. to design and build a frisbee golf course at Hanna Park. The best part? If passed, Orbital will do the work for free.
• Couple of big appointments working their way through Council: John Culbreth as the City’s new director of Parks, Recreation & Entertainment and Kirk Sherman as the new Council Auditor, replacing the retiring Richard Wallace.
• Steve Nichols, the City’s dockmaster, is leaving after more than four years for a job in the private sector. The City’s Parks and Recreation department will begin searching for his replacement.
• Santa had a busy weekend in Jacksonville. Friday and Saturday nights he appeared as guest conductor with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. On Sunday, he was spotted in the stands by Fox camera crews at the Jaguars game.
• With only about 60 graduates walking during Florida Coastal School of Law’s Saturday graduation, each grad had a couple seconds on stage alone. That gave family and friends a few moments to give personalized cheers for their graduates. Several family cheers were heard and one supporter got a few laughs by sounding a duck call.