• Leona Sheddan resigned as executive director of the Jacksonville Humane Society due to personal reasons effective immediately, the society said Friday. The board thanked her for her service, having led the organization through a 2007 fire. She served on the board for 12 years before becoming executive director in early 2007. Under her leadership, the society broke ground on a community animal hospital, which is set to open this winter. A capital campaign continues to fund a new adoption and education center. A search for her successor begins immediately.
• First Coast Tea Party Executive Director Billie Tucker said Sunday the party will hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to announce its candidate endorsements for the spring election.
• In the tea party’s straw poll Thursday night, mayoral candidate Mike Hogan won with 57 percent of the vote, followed by Rick Mullaney at 40 percent. Tax collector candidate Dick Kravitz won with 54 percent, followed by Ryan Taylor at 24 percent. And Sheriff John Rutherford swept the vote for sheriff with 94 percent.
• State Rep. Lake Ray made an appearance at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s board of directors meeting Friday, but didn’t come empty-handed. With the need for funding, he brought small boxed “money trees” for board members, drawing laughs. Ray advocates for port support in Tallahassee, and the board thanked him for his efforts.
• Also at Friday’s port meeting, Roy Schleicher, port executive vice president, told the board that discussions are under way with an automobile exporter that could result in shipping 30,000-40,000 vehicles a year. That could potentially offset another manufacturer taking its business to Texas, although he hopes to keep that account. Schleicher couldn’t disclose the name of the new company.
• The port’s cruise business will reach a milestone March 19 when the millionth passenger comes aboard. There are plans to celebrate the occasion.
• A lunchtime event coming up is the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission’s Brown Bag lunch focusing on “Strategies for Achieving Diversity.” The panel discussion is noon-1:30 p.m. March 10 at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Deerwood Campus. Registration is 11:30 a.m. It’s free. Information: 630-1212, ext. 3020, or RSVP to [email protected].
• Esther Bullard has joined the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce as director of sales and Michael Dryden was hired as leadership level account manager.
• Shands Jacksonville appointed a new 18-member board of directors after a vote last fall that restructured governance of two components of the Shands family of hospitals – Shands Jacksonville and Shands at the University of Florida. They now operate independently.
• Dr. David Guzick, senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of the UF&Shands Health System, chairs both the Shands Jacksonville and the Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics boards. Shands Jacksonville President and CEO Jim Burkhart is also on the Jacksonville board, along with Dr. Robert C. Nuss, dean of the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville regional campus and associate vice president for health affairs. The remaining members include five UF faculty physicians and civic, business and health care leaders.
• Free pancakes at IHOP tomorrow for National Pancake Day. A free short stack is available 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Donations will be given to the Children’s Miracle Network.
• Another deadline tomorrow. If you want to attend the Thursday luncheon about “The 2011 Jacksonville Mayor’s Race – Making Sense of the Message, the PR and the Rhetoric,” you need to register by tomorrow. The event is at River City Brewing Co. and features panelists Jim Bailey, publisher of the Daily Record, political consultant Bruce Barcelo and Matthew Corrigan, a political science professor at the University of North Florida. It’s sponsored by the Florida Public Relations Association Jacksonville Chapter. For costs and information, visit www.fpra-jax.org.