• In addition to its endorsement of Mayor John Peyton, the Fraternal Order of Police has also endorsed the following candidates for City Council: Dist. 1, Cheryl Grimes; Dist. 2, William H. Bishop III; Dist. 4, Earl M. Johnson Jr.; Dist. 6, Sean M. Reichard;, Dist. 7, Martha C. Valdes-Pellino; Dist. 8, Denise Lee and L. Jerome Spates; Dist. 9, Warren A. Jones; Dist. 11, Ray Pringle; At Large Group 2, Karl “Jay” Jabour; At-Large Group 3, Stephen Joost. The FOP has also endorsed all other incumbents on the Council and incumbent constitutional officers.
• The Police and Fire Pension Fund is renovating the old Haverty’s Building at the corner of Laura and Duval, and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission will occupy the fifth and sixth floors. JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton said his department needs a good-sized meeting room and public space, preferably on the first floor.
• Plan on giving a puppy or kitten as a gift this Christmas? You can adopt a healthy, vaccinated, neutered pet from the City of Jacksonville or one of several local nonprofit groups. The City has its available pets listed on www.petharbor.com, and www.petfinder.com lets you look for pets – by age, size and even breed – locally and nationally. Average adoption cost with fees, shots and surgeries included is about $70.
• Holiday closings: City government offices including City Hall, the City Hall Annex, the Duval County Courthouse, the Office of the Supervisor of Elections, the Office of the Tax Collector, the Office of the Property Appraiser and the offices and clinics of the Duval County Health Department will be closed Dec. 25, Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. Jacksonville Public Library branches will be closed Dec. 24 through Dec. 26 and Jan. 1.
• The new Mandarin Park boat ramp on Mandarin Road opened last Wednesday. The two-lane ramp facility includes floating docks, 15 boat trailer parking spaces and spaces for 35 cars. The improvements were funded by the City through a matching grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District. The City also received a check for $103,250 from FIND to build additional parking at the site.
• The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is hosting an exhibition, “Future Artists of the Beaches.” The show features art created by elementary school students from 10 beaches schools. The exhibit opens Thursday in the museum’s Art Connections area and continues through Jan. 29.