• Gray Robinson attorneys Patrick Coleman, William Andrews and Michael Pendergast, labor and employment, and Terry Moore, real estate, have been listed in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Coleman and Andrews were also recognized for being listed in the publication for more than 20 years.
• A few months ago City Council member and Foley & Lardner attorney Kevin Hyde announced he was working with area banks to raise $1 million for JALA to battle foreclosure. What Hyde and others couldn’t foresee was the economic collapse and the effect it would have on the banking industry. The group is still raising money, but Hyde said they won’t meet their goal of $1 million by the end of the year.
• New to the Downtown lunch scene: Beginning this week, La Cena will be open for lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 11:30 a.m. The 211 N. Laura St. restaurant will offer daily specials and though the lunch service will be rigged for speed, the atmosphere will be the same as its dinner service.
• Georgia Southern University will be holding a meet-and-mingle at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens Nov. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There, prospective First Coast students can meet and greet members of the faculty and student body at the dessert and coffee reception. The university is located in Statesboro, Ga. – about an hour west of Savannah, Ga. – and has a student enrollment over 17,000 with its bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs.
• Southern Strategy Group has added Towson Fraser to its Tallahassee office. The lobbying firm has a dozen offices all over the Southeast including Jacksonville. Fraser is Gov. Charlie Crist’s former deputy chief of staff. Southern Strategy Group is run locally by former Speaker of the House John Thrasher.
• Cathedral Arts Project has named its board officers for the 2008-09 year. Darnell Smith of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida is the president; Susan Greene is the president-elect; attorney Tom Donahoo Jr. of Donahoo, Ball & McManamy is the secretary; and attorney Chuck Hedrick, managing partner at Foley & Lardner, is the treasurer.
• The Jacksonville Port Authority has issued a request for proposal for a public relations/media consultant. Nancy Rubin, the Port’s director of communications and public relations, said they are just looking for support staff. Bids are being accepted until Oct. 31.
• Speaking of the Port, its annual charity event for the United Way of Northeast Florida and Community Health Charities is set for Nov. 5 in the cruise terminal. The Las Vegas-themed lunch is from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and costs $10.
• We may not have reached Halloween yet, but it’s time for boat owners to register for the local Thanksgiving spectacle known as the “Light Parade.” The parade has a limit of 100 boats and captains compete for prizes that would make any pirate jealous. The prizes include a two-night stay at Omni Hotels, stay at Amelia Island Resort, rounds of golf at Eagle Landing Golf Course, stay at the Casa Monica Hotel, VIP passes to the 2009 Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Suns tickets and passes to the International Boat Show. Bonus Prizes are available to the first ten 10 returning captains and new captains to register prior to Nov. 14. For more info go to www.coj.net or call the City’s Special Events office at 630-3690.