• Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton said the City needs to recognize its obligation to keep the Southbank Riverwalk shored up due to the fact some sections are deteriorating. “On sections where development isn’t going to happen, it’s our obligation,” he said. “We can’t just wait for the pier to fall in.”
• Circa 46 on Bay Street has been closed for several months now, but it was just recently that the owner finally cleared out the rest of the inventory. For months, a few items here and there would disappear.
• Speaking of disappearing, that’s what is happening to the strip mall on Arlington Expressway that once housed CJ’s. Demolition to the east side began Thursday. No word if the entire structure will be razed or what will take its place.
• Looking for a non-traditional way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Take your Valentine to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens today or Tuesday and save $4 on admission. Coupons are available at www.jacksonvillezoo.org.
• City Council member Glorious Johnson, chair of the City’s Value Adjustment Board, will host a Not-For-Profit Organization Tax Exemption Forum Feb. 27 from 9 a.m.-noon at City Hall. The forum, co-sponsored by the City, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector, is designed to help private not-for-profits identify what types of activities qualify for the property tax exemption, how and when to make application for the exemption and how and when to appeal adverse decisions regarding qualification for the exemption.
• Here’s a little “business Valentine.” Susan D. Brandenburg is the program coordinator for the Memories of Love Foundation, co-founded in August by local philanthropists Henri Landwirth and Mel Gottlieb. The goal of Memories of Love is to provide a cost-free, care-free week’s vacation in Orlando for terminally ill adults and their families. “At Memories of Love, every day is Valentine’s Day,” said Brandenburg.
• The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida’s philanthropic affiliate, will present a $5,000 Sapphire award to We Care Jacksonville, Inc., an organization dedicated to increasing the availability of heath care for the uninsured, under served and homeless. The inaugural award ceremony kicked off Feb. 3. The Blue Foundation has given $375,000 to Florida nonprofit organizations.