• The City was officially informed last week that it will get a little over $26 million in funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Those funds will be used to help area developers rehabilitate abandoned and foreclosed properties.
• The next Ethics Commission meeting is Feb. 23 but it won’t be at City Hall. Instead, it will be at Florida Coastal School of Law and begin at 3:30.
• The Duval County Tourist Development Council will hold its next quarterly meeting Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. in Council Chamber. Ronnie Fussell, by virtue of being City Council president, chairs the TDC.
• Brooks Health has named Dr. Trevor Paris as Medical Director for Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital and vice president of Brooks Rehabilitation Specialists medical practice. As medical director for the hospital, Paris will provide leadership for development of best practice models for the delivery of medical and clinical care as well as utilization of other services and key resources. He will also serve as chairman of the Quality Council and Utilization Management Committee. As vice president of Brooks Rehabilitation Specialists, Paris will provide direct supervision of the employed and contracted physicians and also lead the growth and expansion initiatives for the medical practice.
• Dr. Margarita Arruza’s term as District Medical Examiner will expire July 1, so someone with the City will have to recommend her reappointment or send another name to the governor for consideration. The Medical Examiners Commission, a division of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, will consider those nominated for the job. Nominations must be in by March 6.
• Downtown Vision Inc. will hold its next stakeholders meetings next Tuesday in the Main Library’s multipurpose room. A panel of City employees will talk about Downtown safety initiatives and improving public space.
• Thanks to several private and corporate donations, the University of North Florida announced it will be able to hire high school-based college advisors to assist students who might be eligible for low-income family scholarship program through The Jacksonville Commitment. The five schools in the first phase include Raines, Ribault, Terry Parker, Lee and Englewood, though the plan is to eventually have 16 participating schools.
• Lynn Fouraker Layton has been appointed executive director of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. Prior to joining the organization, Layton owned a consulting business in Ponte Vedra Beach that focused on the direction, leadership and rollout of national marketing and advertising campaigns for the smart card industry. She also served as vice president and marketing director for Enterprise National Bank of Jacksonville and vice president and Florida advertising and sponsorship sales manager for First Union National Bank of Florida.
• Jax City Cafe is is now accommodating the lunch rush by offering premade sandwiches and salads.
• Speaking of restaurants, Ham’s on St. Johns Avenue started serving breakfast Monday morning to go with its usual lunch and dinner fare.