• At Thursday’s Jacksonville Bar Association meeting, 59 attorneys and three judges were sworn in as new members of the JBA. JBA President Kelly Mathis asked them all to stand, asked for a motion and took the motion to vote — all in just a few seconds. “Congratulations,” he said. “You have met the rigorous entry requirements.”
• Speaking of the meeting, it was nearly a full house with an estimated 350-plus in attendance at the Omni. Many were there because it was the first meeting of the Bar’s year while others were there because Florida Bar President — and former JBA president – Hank Coxe was the guest speaker. Mathis, whose job it is to line up speakers, realized the value of having Coxe on hand. “We will have Hank Coxe as our speaker at every meeting,” he joked.
• SunTrust, in support of the Gator Bowl Association, is holding a charity golf tournament Oct. 9 at Marsh Landing. There’s no entry because it’s a member-related event, but mulligans will cost $20 each and all the proceeds go to Take Stock in Children.
• Johnnie Carson, the former United States Ambassador to Kenya, is the guest speaker at Monday’s Rotary Club of Jacksonville meeting. Carson spent his career as a member of the Senior Foreign Service and was also ambassador to Zimbabwe and Uganda.
• Wine and liquor connoisseurs will be in heaven next week when three local distributors — Southern Wine & Spirits, Coastal Wine & Spirits and Transatlantic Wine & Spirits — hold their annual holiday show at Alltel. The Wednesday event will feature a full compliment of wines and liquors from all over the world.
• There’s a Miss Hawaiian Tropic model search and swimsuit contest at the Landing Sunday. Exact times haven’t been posted yet, but the Twisted Martini drink specials start at 4 p.m.
• Clarification. In a City Note earlier this week about a historic home in Riverside being relocated, we didn’t indicate that the owner plans to move the home out of the historic district of Riverside to an area across the river, according to City Council President Michael Corrigan.
• Speaking of Corrigan, he’s called a meeting of the Council’s Personnel Committee for Tuesday to discuss personnel issues. Word is the meeting is to discuss Reggie Fullwood’s open seat. Fullwood, who ran for the Florida House and lost, will have to vacate his seat.
• Sheriff John Rutherford has been in Quantico, Va. this week attending the FBI’s Executive Institute, a training and continuing education program for sheriffs and chiefs of police who manage large law enforcement organizations.
• The new Caribbean Sunsplash restaurant is open on East Adams Street. They serve a traditional bacon-and-eggs breakfast or grits, saltfish and fried dumplings. Oxtails, jerk chicken and curry goat, shrimp or chicken is on the lunch menu.
• Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Wise logged a volunteer hour Thursday. He was at the Teacher Supply Depot on College Street assisting teachers who were selecting school supplies they can use in their classrooms. Since it opened in 1996, $20 million worth of supplies have been donated to the Teacher Supply Depot.
• Gallery 1037 at Reddi-Arts on Hendricks Avenue is exhibiting the work of Elaine Bedell, Natacha Jones and Princess Rashid through Oct. 31. All three are local artists.
• The City will break ground on its newest park — the 9A/Baymeadows Regional Park — Oct. 4. Mayor John Peyton and City Council member Art Graham will be on hand for the 2:30 p.m. ceremony.