• Robert Parrish, a senior partner with the law firm of Moseley, Prichard, Parrish, Knight & Jones, has been elected the 48th president of the 3,000-member Maritime Law Association of the United States for 2012-14. The association was founded in 1899 to advance reforms to maritime law, facilitate justice in its administration and promote uniformity and harmony in shipping laws, regulations and practices of the nations involved in waterborne transportation. He has been with the firm since 1978.
• Clay County Circuit Judge McCarthy “Mack” Crenshaw Jr. has announced he will retire from the Fourth Circuit bench at the end of 2012 because he will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Jan. 3. Gov. Rick Scott will appoint his replacement. The Fourth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has not been notified by the governor to begin the nominating process.
• Correction: There will be no Free to Breathe Jacksonville event this year in November. The Bar Bulletin included information last week that indicated it would. The National Lung Cancer Partnership said there will be Free to Breathe events in Punta Gorda and Orlando. For information, visit FreetoBreathe.org.
• Latasha Garrison-Fullwood of Taylor, Day, Grimm, Boyd & Johnson in Jacksonville was elected as a member of the Florida Bar Trial Lawyers Executive Council.
• From left, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Glenn, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Tjoflat and attorney Eric Holshouser of Fowler White Boggs at the Duke Law lunch held recently at the offices of Fowler White Boggs. Area Duke University alumni attended the event.
• First Coast Community Bank in Fernandina Beach promoted Tony Brauda and Damon Olinto Jr. Brauda has been with First Coast Community Bank for 20 years and is moving from senior vice president of retail banking to executive vice president. Olinto was promoted from a manager of the SBA credit to assistant vice president. Olinto joined First Coast Community Bank in 2010.
• Jacksonville attorney Kevin Cook was recently appointed to serve on the Civil Procedure Rules Committee of The Florida Bar through 2014. Cook is a director at The Bedell Firm.
• Effective May 1, Taylor, Day, Currie, Boyd & Johnson changed its name to Taylor, Day P.A., doing business as Taylor, Day, Grimm, Boyd & Johnson.
• Fowler White Boggs announced that the firm received a Gold Ranking in the 2012 “First Coast Healthiest Companies” presented by the First Coast Worksite Wellness Council.
• Smith Hulsey & Busey will present the 11th Annual Medicine and Miracles Celebrity Dinner May 29 at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront. Professional football players and coaches will serve as waiters at the event, which is hosted by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise funds and awareness for the pediatric programs at Shands Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. There also will be a live and silent auction. For information, call 244-9338 or www.cmnjax.com.
• The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area fell from 8.4 percent in March to 7.9 percent in April, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday. That’s the lowest rate since 7.3 percent in December 2008. The agency also said Florida’s statewide jobless rate fell from a seasonally adjusted 9 percent in March to 8.7 percent in April. The Jacksonville data is not seasonally adjusted. The number of non-agricultural jobs on employer payrolls in the Jacksonville has risen by 1,200 from April 2011 through April 2012, a 0.2 percent growth rate.
• Ernst & Young announced finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Award in Florida. The finalists from North Florida, who are in the financial services category, are Brightway Insurance co-founders David Miller, CEO, and Michael Miller, chief marketing officer. Award recipients will be announced June 14 in Orlando.