• Unless the City picks up the entire tab, it looks like the Sideline Safety Zone used during the Florida-Georgia game may be history. University of Florida President Bernard Machen has taken the time to analyze the effectiveness of the Sideline Safety Zone and said the number of fans served was 350. While Machen says the area for intoxicated or lost fans is working, “given the financial reductions experienced by UF and the city’s initiative to expand the program by providing their own staff, the University of Florida would like to transition the responsibility of the program to the city of Jacksonville.” Machen said the school will help some this year and not at all by the 2011 game.
• City Council member Denise Lee is sponsoring a bill that clarifies some of the City’s Sunshine Law Compliance Act. There is currently some confusion as to whether the act applies to the City’s board and commissions. Those, according to the legislation, are covered by the State Sunshine Laws. The amendment to the Ordinance Code would allow the Council president to approve holding public meetings in locations other than City-owned buildings. Right now, the City’s Ethics Officer has that authority.
• Speaking of Council, member Stephen Joost — who is the CFO for Firehouse Subs — is headed to Haiti March 8-12. “Firehouse is sending two, 40-foot containers of food, enough to feed 350,000 people,” said Joost, who will be joined by Firehouse cofounder Robin Sorensen and Sorensen’s dad Rob.
• Looks like the City is going use the fenced area around the Laura Street Trio as a staging ground for the equipment that’ll be used to do the renovations to Laura Street. There are signs and some heavy equipment already in the area.
• Speaking of Laura Street, the cell phone in the Elks Building that was supposed to reopen in December, won’t. The space has been cleared out.
• The law firm of Fowler White Boggs is hosting an employment law seminar March 23 at the Hyatt. It begins at 8 a.m. and runs through 1 p.m. Several of the firms attorneys will address four topics. The theme of the seminar is “Flying High Above the Employment Law Battlefield.”
• The Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County are on the record as in favor of elected positions in Duval County and including an Ethics Code in the City’s Charter. Both issues have been topics of discussion of the Charter Revision Commission.
• A couple of Jacksonville icons — Ike Williams and John Lowe — will be honored by Council with framed resolutions.
• Karen Bowling, CEO of Solantic, is up for appointment to the board of JEA. She’ll replace Cathy Whatley.
• Speaking of board appointments, Don Hinson and Cynthia Austin are both up for reappointment for a second term — Hinson to JTA and Austin to JEA.
• Finally, Herschel Vinyard is up for reappointment to the board of the Jacksonville Port Authority. This will be his first full term and it’ll expire Sept. 30, 2013.
• Former Council President Ronnie Fussell is sponsoring a bill that would recognize Alan Mosley, the City’s former chief administrative officer, for his years or service. Mosley recently took a job with the Florida Department of Transportation. Former Deputy CAO Kerri Stewart was promoted to CAO.
• The Westbrook Branch Library will mark 50 years of service to Paxon/Biltmore area of town this year.