• Council member Suzanne Jenkins likes what she sees so far from JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton. “I’ve been waiting for two years for someone to articulate a vision for downtown,” said Jenkins. “I think he’s bringing one with him.” Jenkins hopes Barton makes good on his goal of getting some downtown initiatives moving — things like Brooklyn redevelopment and a retail study. “We’ve had a lot of good ideas, but at some point you have to have the horses running to make those things happen.”
• Height restriction legislation for buildings between San Pablo Road and the Intracoastal Waterway has been drawn up. The bill would limit all buildings to 60 feet.
• One-third of the $75 million cost of the recent settlement in a toxic ash class action suit (Nora Williams vs. City of Jacksonville, et al.) will come from the City through a Series 2005A Florida Special Revenue Bond. The rest will be paid by insurance companies that covered the City from the 1950s through the 1970s.
• The new lease agreement between the City and the Universities of Florida and Georgia is a great deal for the schools. Previously, they leased Alltel Stadium for $50,000 a year. The new deal sets the cost at $1. Yes, one dollar.
• Speaking of the Florida-Georgia game, the City also contractually committed to both schools to help secure a name sponsor for the game. No word on when a sponsor has to be signed.
• JEA may be raising their rates, but they are also giving customers different ways to voluntarily contribute money on top of their utility bill to various charities around town. Those contributions go directly to the charity or non-profit of choice.