• In other military action, R.J. Natter & Associates, led by Retired Navy Adm. Robert Natter, has been selected to assist the City’s military advocacy and lobbying efforts. Natter worked statewide and in Washington, D.C. on behalf of all Florida military bases communities including Jacksonville during the recently completed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.
• Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed six to the Northeast Florida Regional Council. Those awaiting State Senate confirmation include, Elaine Brown of Neptune Beach, Jane Miller of Ponte Vedra, Darryl Register of Glen St. Mary, Kenneth Smallwood of Orange Park, Karen Stern of St. Augustine and Carol Vallencourt of Orange Park. The Council provides leadership and coordination between Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Putnam, Nassau and St. Johns Counties and governmental agencies for the betterment of the region.
• Speaking of appointments, Rob Mason has been appointed to chair the Jacksonville Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy Steering Committee (JJCS). Mason is the director of Juvenile Court for the Public Defender’s Office. The JJCS Steering Committee is an advisory board to the mayor, sheriff, state attorney and school superintendent on juvenile justice issues.
• The next meeting of the Tourist Development Council’s Subcommittee on Marketing and Advertising is set for April 16 at 10 a.m. in Conference Room B at City Hall. The subcommittee will talk about whether or not to use TDC funds for marketing and advertising.
• If you are a First Guaranty Bank customer, get your banking done before the end of the business day Thursday. The bank will be closed for Good Friday and won’t reopen until April 13.
• Conservative talk radio personality Neal Boortz will be at the Landing April 11 at noon to lead a “Save the Nation” rally in support of the Fair Tax which is currently under consideration in Congress. Admission is free, but space is limited. RSVP by going to www.fairtax.org.
• What has now become known as “The Speech” was a part of the Florida State-Florida baseball game at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville Tuesday. A new national championship poster has been created by the University of Florida to celebrate UF’s third football national championship and Tim Tebow’s emotional speech after the loss to Ole Miss is displayed prominently on the right of the poster. The poster can be ordered from www.gatorzone.com.
• Speaking of the UF baseball team, three days before Tuesday’s game they placed an order for 53 honey turkey wraps, pasta salad and cookies from Great Wraps at the Landing. On game day the owner of Great Wraps, Dan Patel, delivered the order to the the ballpark. Patel, who recently won a North Florida Hotel & Lodging Association Recognition Of Service Excellence (ROSE) Award for Best Server Fast Food — and a self-described “diehard Gator fan” — didn’t charge them a delivery fee.
• The Blood Alliance has moved to a new facility on Centurion Parkway in Deerwood Park South. The Regional Blood Center Jacksonville houses administrative offices, a donor room and the organization’s laboratory and distribution center. To make an appointment to donate blood, call 353-8263.
• An update on the collections of the City’s stormwater fees. As of this past Tuesday, $13.9 million had been collected since the bills went out in May of last year (the $13.9 million represents fees collected from July to December) for a collection rate of 82 percent. There have also been 10,653 approved applications for a reduction in those fees totaling $2.5 million.
• City Council member and Jacksonville Waterways Chair Bill Bishop won’t be able to attend Thursday’s Waterways Commission meeting so he has asked Council member Ray Holt to chair the meeting. It’s at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers.
• The English Speaking Union will hold its annual Queen’s Tea April 19 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Thompson on Ortega Farms Boulevard. Included is a tour of the rose garden and a presentation by a member of the Rose Society. Tickets are $25 and proceeds will support the Shakespeare Competition for high school students and the British Universities Summer School Fellowship that each year sends a local high school teacher to Great Britain for three weeks. Call Mary Alice Phelan at 389-8918 for reservations.