• Former Jacksonville Mayor Louis Hampton Ritter died Friday at the age of 84 after battling cancer. Mr. Ritter served as mayor from 1965 to 1967, before consolidated government. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 4115 Hendricks Ave. The funeral is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, 118 E. Monroe St.
• There’s still time to make a nomination for the Financial News & Daily Record Lawyer of the Year. Lawyers are encouraged to make nominations by April 15 of Jacksonville Bar Association members for the award. The Daily Record annually recognizes a lawyer in the community for his or her long-standing dedication to improving the lives of individuals through community service, over and above the practice of law. Submit nominations to James F. Bailey, Daily Record, 10 N. Newnan St., Jacksonville, FL, 32202, or by email to [email protected].
• The D.W. Perkins Bar Foundation will host its annual scholarship banquet at 7 p.m. May 6 at the Omni. The theme is “The Courage to Make a Difference.” Television personality Judge Karen Mills-Francis will be the keynote speaker. Proceeds will provide scholarships to students at Florida Coastal School of Law for bar preparation. For information or to purchase tickets, contact [email protected].
• Attorney Richard Britton has joined the Law Office of Cooke and Meux as an associate concentrating in real estate, guardianship and probate law. Britton was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2001 after graduating from Florida Coastal School of Law and was previously a solo practitioner with Britton Law Offices.
• The Auditor General for the State of Florida completed an audit of Florida State College at Jacksonville and found the school is better off than the previous year. The audit indicates FSCJ’s net assets rose $32.5 million from fiscal year 2007-08 to 2008-09. That increase was because of a rise in student fees and a $10 million donation from the Jacksonville Aviation Authority matched by a $10 million state grant for the school’s Aircraft Coating Educational Facility at Cecil Field.
• Sunshine Review, based in Alexandria, Va., has given the City a “Sunny Award” for the City’s Web site, coj.net. According to Sunshine Review Senior Editor Kristin McMurray, the Web site was selected as one of the “most transparent government” Web sites in the country. The City’s site received an “A” and was in the top 1 percent of the 5,000 government Web sites ranked.
• Anyone who shops at Stein Mart and donates $5 or more to Dignity U Wear April 23-25 will receive 10 percent off his or her purchase. The promotion is “Help Us Help Others” and in January, donations at 267 stores generated $205,000. Since 2003, the promotion has raised about $2.7 million.
• Correction: A picture for the “Run for Cover 5k” story last Monday listed John Kalinowski as the first male attorney to finish the race, but he was actually the third male member of the legal community to cross the finish line. Brian Crevasse of the Bachara Construction Law Group was the first place male attorney with a time of 18:16 and Marc McAllister, an assistant professor at Florida Coastal School of Law, was second at 19:32.
• In more “Run for Cover 5k” news, the Bachara Construction Law Group was named the “Most Spirited Law Firm” at the race.
• In Fourth Judicial Circuit election news, Clay County Court Judges Timothy Collins and Richard Townsend, Duval County Court Judge Eleni Derke and Circuit Court Judge Henry Davis have filed to run for re-election and all are unopposed. Fraternal Order of Police Attorney Paul Daragjati has filed to run for Circuit Court Judge, Group 31, against incumbent Judge Linda McCallum. Daragjati previously applied for judgeship when seats became available due to the passing of Judge Peter Fryefield and the retirement of Judge Michael Weatherby.