• Nothing gripes Orlando people more than to see Jacksonville get the big sporting events so they’re proposing an extra penny on the bed tax down there to build a new arena, renovate their creaky football stadium and put in a new performing arts center. Says Orlando sports columnist Mike Bianchi (a cheerleader for the Better Jax Plan when he was at the T-U): “When you’re in a big city, you don’t take a backseat to Jacksonville.”
• Sheriff John Rutherford will be the guest speaker May 25 at the Christian Professional’s Resource meeting. It’s at noon at the University Club.
• Some big names will be at the Florida Theatre over the next several months. Eighties female rocker Pat Benatar is in June 8 and another big ‘80s metal band — Queens Ryche — will be here Sept. 2. The Doobie Brothers will play in town Oct. 25.
• Speaking of the Florida Theatre, former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia is the first speaker on this year’s Florida Forum guest speaker slate. He’s here Oct. 17.
• Little-known fact. There are 320 duplicate street names in Jacksonville, but there’s an ordinance working its way through Council that would permit many to be renamed.
• The City was recently recognized with the 2006 Historic Preservation Award for its production of “River into the World.” A reception in honor of the award is set for May 31 at the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art at 6 p.m.
• The Jacksonville Urban League is holding its annual meeting and reception June 22 at the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum. The group has been in existence for 59 years now.
• Former school system superintendent Larry Zenke is still around and this year his wife, Joanne, will retire after 40 years of teaching kindergarten here and in Orange County and Tulsa. In honor of the Zenkes, the Duval County school system, in conjunction with the Alliance for World Class Education, is forming the Larry and Joanne Zenke Fund, a non-profit designed to “fund dreams for students whose physical disabilities, financial hardships or other limiting circumstances prohibit them from participating in meaningful learning opportunities and enriching experiences.”
• Surf contest this weekend at the Jacksonville Beach in honor of Sandy Forsyth, the longtime owner of Aqua East Surf Shop who passed after battling an illness for years. The pros will surf Saturday with the amateurs joining in on Sunday.
• The Jacksonville Film Festival started yesterday, complete with films about curse words (“F*&k”), drug use (“Cocaine Angel”) and animal skeleton art (“Found Artists: Gary Crom”). Jean Tait, executive director of JFF, said the festival tries to be open to a variety of controversial and more mainstream films. “We may be pushing it a little bit, but we are trying to make sure we have something for everyone,” said Tait. “Obviously, there are going to be films that are going to offend some people, but you can expect that from everything. I think people would be surprised at how not conservative Jacksonville is. The difference between what I was told to expect and what I’ve experienced is totally different.”
• Looking to watch the Southeast premiere of “Lonely Hearts”, the movie filmed in Jacksonville last year starring John Travolta? The Saturday night screening of the film sold out on Wednesday, according to Todd Roobin, chief of the Jacksonville Film and Television Office. You may get a chance to watch the film on Sunday if it wins the viewer’s choice award.
• Speaking of “Lonely Hearts”, the Jacksonville Film and Television Office estimates the film brought more than $3 million in economic impact to the Jacksonville area. Roobin said people working for the production spent 76 days in Jacksonville. During that time, they spent money on hotels and housing, technicians, extras, catering, car rentals, film processing, location rentals and set construction. Roobin said additional retail impact is difficult to measure, but “they (the filmmakers, actors and crew) get paid quite well, and they were off on Saturday and Sunday spending their money.”
• According to the new Florida Trend, Publix is the largest privately-owned company in the state. In 2004, the Lakeland-based grocery store had 134,000 employees and reported over $18 billion in revenue. The biggest local company is Gate Petroleum, with 3,500 employees and $658 million in revenue.