• Barring a hurricane, it looks like the 2011 Light Parade of boats will take place Nov. 26 along the St. Johns River Downtown. Buddy Haskell, president of the Jacksonville Marine Association, said this morning that Mayor Alvin Brown’s office signed off Wednesday on a partnership between the City and the private sector to organize the event. Haskell said his group is working with the Gator Bowl Association and Downtown business owners to ensure the tradition enjoyed by an estimated 100,000 people each year will continue. Chris Hand, Brown’s chief of staff, said this morning the issue is how much money can be raised by the private sector, since funding for the parade was removed from the City budget. “We’re hopeful we can do it,” he said.
