• Not sure what it would cost to rebuild if a major hurricane — category 3 or higher — hit Jacksonville? According to Risk Management Solutions, a category 3 storm would cost $5 billion-$15 billion; a category 4, $10 billion-$30 billion; and a category 5 would cost between $30 billion and $100 billion. It could be much worse. In Miami and Tampa, a category 5 storm would cause $75 billion-$200 billion in damages.
• Council members Suzanne Jenkins and Elaine Brown will meet June 20 at 2 p.m. in City Hall to discuss Downtown parking issues. The meeting’s open to the public.
• Builders Care, a not-for-profit construction organization aligned with the Northeast Florida Builders Association, needs money. Executive Director Bill Wilson told Mayor John Peyton that the organization “needs community support to continue.” Wilson said his group has done this year more than $2 million in work, much of it for the poor and handicapped. “People always comment on how good of a job we do,” Wilson said in a letter. “While this is encouraging it does not pay the bills.”
• The mayor’s office was bustling with young men Tuesday. Some were summer interns, while others were working on the office’s computer systems. The e-mail system is being updated from GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook.
• Downtown Vision, Inc. Executive Director Terry Lorince will be the guest speaker at Monday’s Rotary Club meeting at the Omni. Lunch is at noon and the program gets underway at 12:30.
• Jacksonville U. alumni are banding together in an effort to save the Dolphin license plate. Apparently, three years ago the State of Florida approved the specialty plates for small, private schools. Last year, those schools were told by the state that if 1,000 plates weren’t sold by July 1, the tags would be decommissioned. Last month, JU was about 500 plates short and Tuesday the Arlington school is holding a “save the JU license plate phon-a-thon” on campus from 5:30-8 p.m. in the Founders 2 building.
• Land Use and Zoning reports came out Tuesday and they took up a lot of space. The report was abnormally large because it’s close to the end of session, according to one Council aide. About 40 copies of the report containing bills and maps circulated through City Hall Each packet used three reams of paper — that’s 60,000 sheets of paper altogether. Some aides said the report would go straight to the recycle bin. Others are hoping the reports will go to CD soon.
• Pioneers-4-Jax is having a Rooftop Social Friday at 7 p.m. It’s hosted by Downtown residents and business owners and the guest speakers will be Council member Suzanne Jenkins and Officer Wally Butler from the HITZ Program. Landing owner Toney Sleiman is scheduled to attend, as is City Council candidate Earl Johnson Jr. Call 355-4190 for more info.
• There’s a commemoration scheduled for Confederate Park. It’s June 24 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a video of Jacksonville during 1914 and Civil War artifacts by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. RSVP by June 16 to aarvalleyofjax.org or call the Jacksonville Scottish Rite at 355-7633.