• Look for a third Jacksonville Chicago Pizza location to open at the Landing in mid-September in the former Ruby Tuesday space. Landing spokesperson Rachel Nudge said the owner signed the contract Thursday, paid extra to open by Sept. 15 and started work Friday. The restaurant has 5,500 square feet with 2,000 of that outside. There will be plasma TVs and two outside bars.
• Twenty-four of 41 applicants have been selected to be interviewed for two seats on the Florida First District Court of Appeal created by the resignations of Judges Michael Allen and Edwin Browning Jr. The group includes Fourth Judicial Circuit Judges Jim Daniel and Waddell Wallace, and Solicitor General Scott Makar. Interviews will be conducted July 23-24.
• A recent Money Magazine top-25 list of “Where the jobs are” based on job growth in the last eight years has St. Johns County listed as No. 12. Duval’s neighbor has had a 56 percent increase during that time, according to the study.
• The governing board of the St. Johns River Water Management District voted Tuesday to maintain its tax rate and approved a tentative balanced budget. The Board unanimously approved a tentative $284.48 million budget with a 0.4158 millage rate for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. More good news for taxpayers is that they will likely see a decrease in the amount of taxes they pay to the district because of no new taxes and a recent drop in property assessments, said Teresa Monson, senior communications specialist for the District.
• Associate Justin Spiller has recently joined the Jacksonville office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, where he practices in the areas of general commercial litigation, premises liability, insurance defense, real estate transactional work and land use and zoning. Spiller earned his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, in 2006.
• Applications will soon be due for Florida Bar members seeking board certification in admiralty and maritime law, appellate practice, aviation law, civil trial, elder law, immigration and nationality, international law, labor and employment law, marital and family law and tax law. Applications are available at the Florida Bar Web site floridabar.org/certification and are due Aug. 31.
• “River City Rising” is an hour-long documentary on the 40th anniversary of consolidated government in Jacksonville that is being developed by Devan Stuart, owner of Kerris Media, in association with Barton Productions and EnFocus Media. The economy has affected production and Stuart is currently seeking grants and corporate sponsorship to complete the project. Interviews with former Mayors Hans Tanzler and Ed Austin and Judge William Durden have already been completed. Stuart can be reached at [email protected] or 742-7011.
• Gov. Charlie Crist recently sent a letter to U.S. Sens. John McCain and Carl Levin of the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding his concern on language in the National Defense Authorization Act on the Senate floor that could preclude Naval Station Mayport from receiving funds for port dredging. As the letter states, in June, U.S. Rep Glenn Nye’s amendment to the Act stripped $46 million allocated for Mayport Channel dredging, which would stall the current upgrades and jeopardize Mayport’s chance at a carrier.