• According to the Supervisor of Elections website, as of today there are 523,638 registered voters in Duval County. Of those, 235,371 are registered as Democrats, 192,274 as Republicans and 95,993 are registered as “other.”
• A handful of incumbents filed recently for re-election. They include Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland and City Council members Bill Bishop (Dist. 2) and Johnny Gaffney (Dist. 7).
• Speaking of the 2011 election, mayoral candidate Alvin Brown had representatives collecting signatures at Saturday’s Dancin’ in the Streets event at the Beach. Brown wants to qualify for the election via petition instead of check.
• The Sulzbacher Center will partner with Soles 4 Soles and Shoe Carnival to provide the center’s clients in its job placement program with new shoes. More than 70 pairs of shoes are expected to be given out.
• Mayor John Peyton released the new book that’s part of his Rally! Jacksonville initiative Monday. The ceremony was supposed to be at the Veterans Memorial Wall, but rain forced the event inside City Hall, where Peyton read to about two dozen children. The book is “We Salute Our Military.”
• Speaking of Peyton, he’ll hold his last budget workshop Thursday at the Beach. It’s 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jacksonville Beach Community Center on South Beach Parkway.
• According to the six-month budget review and year-end forecast released Monday by Finance Director Mickey Miller, the City’s general fund should end the year with a deficit of $12.5 million. Miller said that gap can be closed by finding $2 million in operating cuts, getting $4.9 million in return of excess premiums from risk management and the rest can be made up from reserves.
• Speaking of the report, there is good news. Ad valorem tax revenue is showing a favorable variance of $6.89 million. The budgeted amount was $470 million, but projections are property taxes will bring in about $476.9 million.
• According to a memo by Victoria Robas, terminal director of Blount Island and Dames Point for the Jacksonville Port Authority, the Mayport Ferry is still losing money. As of May 7, the ferry cost JPA $1,759,791 to operate but only $1,196,942 was budgeted. That’s a shortfall of $562,849.
• The Southside Business Men’s Club donates a book to an elementary school on behalf of speakers. For the three Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT team presenters last week, the club donated “Charlotte’s Web,” the children’s book by E.B. White, to Kings Trail Elementary School.