• Success for the City’s First Coast Games team over the weekend. The flag football team finished first and the volleyball team placed third.
• Former Attorney General Edwin Meese will be at Florida Coastal School of Law most the day Thursday. Meese, who served under Pres. Ronald Reagan, will speak during the school’s first ever alumni week. He’ll present “Presidential Powers, Executive Decisions and the Constitution.” The school’s Center for Law & Public Policy is hosting Meese, who also spoke at the school shortly after it opened 10 years ago.
• In August 2005, the Florida Real Estate Commission approved a change to its advertising rule (61J2-10.025) requiring that all real estate advertisements include not only the licensed name of the brokerage firm, but the telephone number as well. FREC recently decided, however, not to enforce the rule change until after a workshop on implementing the rule is held some time this month.
• The Northeast Florida Association of Realtor’s Board of Directors recently approved the formation of a new council to serve the growing number of St. Johns County members. Sherry Davidson, broker of Davidson Realty, has been selected as the inaugural St. Johns Council chairperson, to serve for the remainder of this year and next. Anyone who is located in or doing business in St. Johns County is invited to participate.
• Youngsters interested in aviation will enjoy Saturday’s North Florida Regional Youth Air Fest at Signature Flight Support at JIA. The event runs from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and includes corporate aircraft tours, a NASA Kennedy Space Center exhibit, aviation and aerospace educational institutional displays and much more.
• The Jacksonville Historical Society is 77 years old this year and has announced it intends to extend its lease with the City for its Jacksonville Historical Center on the Southbank.
• Jacksonville is quickly becoming one of the call centers of the country and certainly leads the state. According to Florida Trend magazine, 7.9 percent of the Jacksonville labor force works at a call center. Tampa’s second at 7.3 percent and, of big cities, Miami is last at 1.4 percent. The biggest employers in town are Bank of America and Citibank with 4,000 each followed closely by Convergys with 3,600. The average wage for call center employees here is $11.02 an hour. Boston is tops in the country at $13.42 an hour.
• The folks at Palencia meet up with the modern world: they’re getting a Starbucks. The company signed a lease for an 1,800 square foot store in Mercado Walk at Palencia Commons. It’ll feature a drive-thru and be the third store in St. Johns County.
• Clarification. In a story Monday, we said The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors consisted of 52 members, with two that are non-voting. The two non-lawyer members, retired Jacksonville educator Chuck Badger and Winter Park banker Blair Culpepper, do vote. Interestingly, the two non-voting members are Bar President Hank Coxe and President-elect Frank Angones.
• There’s a golf tournament Monday to benefit Helping Hands Ministries which is working to raise $500,000 to purchase land for Helping Hands Village, a transitional housing community for families and children. It’s at Windsor Parke GC and starts at 8:30 a.m. There will be lunch, prizes, gift bags and an auction. Golfers are encouraged to set up their own foursomes and the cost is $75 per golfer. More info: Paul Gruenther, 537-0865.
• Realtors can earn an extra $5,000 by the end of the year. Allegiance Development is unveiling its Five-Star Realtor Reward Program, which awards up to $5,000 to Realtors who generate the most leads for Cape Sound on Amelia Island and The Tuscany at Marsh Lakes between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. The program will be introduced at the Realtor Builder Tradeshow at Alltel Stadium Thursday with a grand-prize drawing for Realtors who register for the program at the tradeshow.
• The Salvation Army is accepting applications for holiday assistance until Oct. 27. Families in Duval and Nassau counties who wish to be considered for the angel tree program and Thanksgiving boxes can apply in person at the Towers Social Services Center on West Adams Street.
• Current fuel prices are what’s driving the City’s upcoming vehicle for hire rate review. The last review was five years ago and and the new one will focus primarily on taxis.
• The fall edition of “FDIC State Profiles” will be published on the FDIC’s Web site on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. “State Profiles” is a quarterly executive summary of economic and banking trends in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. FDIC analysts will be available at (202) 898-6993 to answer questions about key issues in the publication.
• The Chamber’s next board of governors luncheon is Oct. 18 at the Marriott Southpoint. Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland and The First Tee of Jacksonville Executive Director Pepper Peete (wife of former PGA Tour player Calvin) are the guest speakers.
• Springfield Preservation and Revitalization have targeted Oct. 27 for the dedication of the new fountain at Klutho park. Things get underway at 5 p.m. followed by a party.