• Foley & Lardner won the 2011 Florida Bar Pro Bono Law Firm Commendation award for its contributions in the delivery of legal services to individuals or groups on a pro bono basis. The award will be presented Thursday at the Florida Supreme Court by Chief Justice Charles T. Canady.
• In keeping with a tradition practiced at lacrosse games worldwide, youth attending the Moe’s Southwest Grill Sunshine Classic Feb. 20 at EverBank Field will be allowed to have their sticks inside the stadium. More than 5,000 tickets have already been sold for the Georgetown vs. Jacksonville University and Notre Dame vs. Duke matches. Tickets are available from local lacrosse clubs and through Ticketmaster.
• More information from Wachovia/Wells Fargo, which removed its name from Riverplace Tower on the Downtown Southbank the past weekend. It has 41 banking offices in Duval County and 62 in the five-county area. Its North Florida Region headquarters has been in the One Enterprise Center building on the Northbank Downtown since 1985 and occupies about 150,000 square feet, with about 400 associates there. Wachovia/Wells Fargo would not discuss its lease terms.
• The Wachovia name came off Riverplace Tower, although Wachovia/Wells Fargo continues to operate a bank branch there. Wachovia/Wells Fargo said it was approaching the end of its lease.
• Gate Riverplace Co. President Ed Washington said only that “to our knowledge, the Wachovia sign is not going to be replaced at the top of the building.” He declined further comment.
• Jacksonville-based Rayonier said naming rights at Riverplace Tower weren’t part of its lease negotiations in its move recently from the Bank of America Building. But there’s a sign in front of Riverplace Tower announcing Rayonier as a tenant. Rayonier moved to Riverplace Tower in October, occupying two floors of the 28-floor building.
• Speaking of Rayonier, William Manzer joined as vice president of manufacturing operations. Manzer will have overall operational responsibility for the Jesup, Ga., and Fernandina Beach mills as well as the company’s Georgia-based lumber operations.
• The March 11 Cornerstone luncheon featuring Gov. Rick Scott is capped at 1,000 participants. Register at www.opportunityjacksonville.com.
• Dalton Agency executive Michael Munz has decided to step down as chair of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s Sports and Entertainment Board, citing the amount of time required to work on Audrey Moran’s campaign for mayor, His successor will be elected at a special meeting of the board in February.
• Speaking of Moran, she and fellow mayoral candidate Rick Mullaney are scheduled at a mayor’s forum covering “Economic Development, Sustainability, Infrastructure, Land Use, Municipal Bonds and Pension Reform” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Modis Building Auditorium Downtown. University of North Florida Professor Matthew Corrigan will moderate. It’s hosted by the Urban Land Institute in partnership with Northeast Florida Commercial Real Estate (NAIOP), the American Institute of Architects Jacksonville, the US Green Building Council North Florida Chapter and Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville. Cost is $25 per person. Contact Carolyn Clark at 486-8256 or [email protected]
• Moran and Mullaney are back together Friday night at the Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Board’s mayoral candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Deerwood Campus. Participating candidates also include Alvin Brown, Andy Bryan, David Crosby, Warren Lee and Mike Hogan. It’s a free event. For information, e-mail [email protected].
• For the benefit of mayoral and council candidates, Downtown Vision Inc. summarized its major policy positions for Downtown: Focus on the core; create a compelling Downtown experience; insist on public-private leverage; and demand bold and ambitious leadership.
• Brokers with Flagler Real Estate Services, Flagler’s commercial brokerage and property management arm, closed about 1.3 million square feet of new and renewed leases across Florida in the fourth quarter of 2010. In Jacksonville, Fortegra Financial Corp. leased 49,418 square feet of office space at the Deerwood South 100 building, at 10151 Deerwood Park Blvd., in Southside. Flagler’s Senior Director of Leasing Ross Carrier represented Flagler in the transaction. Craig McCaw and Andy Davidson of MB Real Estate and Brad Chrischilles of CNL Commercial Real Estate represented Fortegra Financial, which will be moving from Downtown.