• Tim Digby, managing director of the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, received the Regional Award for Excellence in Economic Development and Tourism from the Northeast Florida Regional Council for demonstrating the council’s mission for preserving and enhancing the quality of Northeast Florida’s natural, economic and social environment. The 40-year-old resort began an $85 million renovation in November. More than 500 construction jobs during the project and 160 permanent positions will be generated by the enhancements.
• If you see a lot of trucks heading to Buck Island, it’s because the Army Corps of Engineers will rehabilitate the dredge material disposal facility there over the next month or two. Contractors are delivering stone and gravel to the site from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. About 30 truck deliveries are expected daily. Some weekend deliveries are expected, too. Fort Caroline and Mount Pleasant roads will be the busiest area. The trucks are hauling the rock from Ocala, with some coming from a site off of Heckscher Drive, too.
• The University of North Florida’s Division of Student Affairs recently published a best practices manuscript titled “Student Affairs for All Seasons and Reasons: Leadership by Example.” It is available for $39.50 from the manuscript’s publisher, Administrator’s Bookshelf, at www.adminbookshelf.com/bookshelf. It also will be available in the UNF Bookstore on campus. Proceeds and royalties from book sales will be directed into a Student Affairs scholarship fund for UNF students. Over the past 2 1/2 years, UNF Student Affairs professionals have been writing about programs that exemplify the impact a student affairs division can have on the student’s college experience.