• Some high winds Tuesday morning left JEA blown away, literally. More than 200 large pieces of roofing material that were on top of the electric authority’s customer care headquarters proved to be no match for the heavy gusts and, while heading to work, several passersby reported seeing them tumbling down Church, Main and Laura streets. JEA collected the materials before noon.
• Chris Shea of the Mayor’s Office temporarily will be working for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. For 90 days, Shea will help monitor the economic impacts of the Super Bowl.
• About $100,000 in tickets already have been sold for the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament here. It may be the best ever for the tournament at this stage, and City officials hope the strong showing continues so a bid can be made to move it here on a long- term basis.
• The University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business is looking for nominations for this year’s Business Hall of Fame class. The college established the Hall in 1998 to recognize those who have contributed to the local business community and can serve as role models for students. Nominations are due by March 25. The class will be announced at a May 19 induction ceremony at The River Club.
• Best wishes to Kristy Approbato, a paralegal in the City’s General Counsel’s Office. She’s leaving the City at the end of the week to work for
attorney Carl Sanders.
• Last weekend’s Mardis Gras Madness Bachelor / Bachelorette Charity Auction raised some big bucks for the North Florida School for the developmentally disabled. Top money makers on the block were Ali Korman and Billy Catlin, who raised more than $4,000 and $2,000, respectively.
• Updated plans for the Shipyards will be unveiled at press conference today at 10:30 a.m. The City Council will hold a workshop to discuss the pending redevelopment deal at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17 in the first floor chambers at City Hall. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, who helped shape the multi-million dollar proposal with the LandMar Group, are expected to be on hand to answer all questions.
• We had titles wrong in the story Tuesday on Preston Haskell. He’s The Haskell Company’s chairman; Steve Halverson is the president and CEO.
• Florida Community College at Jacksonville may be getting close to adding a new bachelor degree program to their curriculum. FCCJ president Steve Wallace has proposed to the State Board of Education that a degree in Fire Science become available at the school. While awaiting approval, Wallace continues to build local support of the program, having already collected endorsements from City Council president Elaine Brown and Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Barrett. Letters from Mayor John Peyton and former Mayor and University of North Florida president John Delaney reportedly are on the way.
• City Council member Sharon Copeland will permanently replace Suzanne Jenkins on the Council’s Military Affairs & International Development Committee. MAID meets every other Wednesday at 12:30, just one hour before Jenkins reviews the agenda for her Government Performance Committee. That’s cutting it too close, Jenkins said.
• Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee is NOT leaving Fresh Ministries to go to Africa. Apparently, the news that Randy Evans would be overseeing a new part of the the nonprofit group got gossip spinning. Lee maintains he’s staying put and that Evans and Bruce Grob, who handles projects abroad, will both report to him.
• Legislation supporting the City’s application to the Historic Preservation Commission to move Brewster Hospital has been introduced. If passed, the resolution would express the City’s desire to move the landmark African American hospital to any site approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Keeper of the National Registry.
• Chief Judge Donald Moran is planning to review the performance of the Mayor’s Domestic Violence Task Force. Formed in 1997, the group was charged with developing various programs and raising community awareness regarding local abuse. At a March 24 meeting in Moran’s Duval County Courthouse chambers, the Task Force’s accomplishments as well what needs to be done will be discussed.