New “Art in Public Places”
• The DDRB recently approved a new sculpture to go on the sidewalk in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (MOCA). The sculpture by James Rosburg was previously located at the 550 Building on Water Street and was donated to the museum by the property owners.  It has since been removed and restored under the supervision of the artist.

Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame
• The JEDC’s Sports & Entertainment office announces the 2008 Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame Inductees.  University of Florida’s honorees are wide receiver Willie Jackson and running back Fred Taylor.  University of Georgia’s inductees are wide receiver Gene Washington and quarterback Eric Zeier.  The annual Hall of Fame ceremony is a celebration to commemorate one of the nation’s premier college football rivalries. The official induction ceremony, sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, will be held on Friday, October 31, 2008, at the Championship Dreams Tent outside the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Lighting Initiative
• The JEDC, JEA, DVI and the Public Works Department continue to work on improving the lighting standards for Downtown streets.  The four objectives of the initiative are: maintenance of lighting fixtures in right-of-ways, the lighting of public buildings, the lighting of private buildings and the installation of new light fixtures.  Updated accomplishments include: the numbering of all light poles along the Riverwalk for easy identification in the event of an outage, and the repair of up lighting on palm trees along Bay Street.

DVI’s Web site Gets Facelift
• Check out DVI’s new and improved Web site: www.downtownjacksonville.org. The newly renovated site was designed as a one-stop-shop for information on Downtown Jacksonville and includes improved navigation and organization, along with a fresh design.  The site also integrated Google’s suite of location and event-based services, which makes planning a Downtown trip easy by combining parking, dining and destination venues on one, easy-to-use map.
 
Flag Football Games in Downtown
• A group of volunteer coaches and students are organizing flag football games at various parks throughout the Springfield area, with the goal of having a Saturday recreational league up and running by January.  The league will give young people in the area a safe outlet for learning football and leadership skills.  For more information or to become a volunteer, please contact Richard Burnett at 396-9601 or rburnett@cesery.com. 

Make a Scene Downtown!
• “Make a Scene Downtown!” will be held at various bars and restaurants between Bay and Adams Streets every Thursday during the month of August.  Enjoy live entertainment, drink specials and food from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Please click here for more information.

American Idol in Downtown
• Thousands of people traveled Downtown to try out for the hit TV show, American Idol.  Tryouts for Season 8 were held on August 13 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.  Jacksonville was one of eight locations selected to host tryouts.  Other cities selected were: San Francisco, Louisville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Juan, Kansas City and East Rutherford.

IBA Particle Therapy
• IBA Particle Therapy, located at 225 Water Street, recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  With assistance from the JEDC, Cornerstone and the State of Florida, the Belgium-based company chose Jacksonville to be its headquarters in the Americas. 

Quarterly Awards Honor Downtown Ambassador Contributions
• DVI recognized three Downtown Ambassadors for their outstanding contributions during the second quarter:  Todd Knighten, Arnold Brown and Sabrina Fredrick.  Funded by Downtown property owners, Downtown Ambassadors are Downtown's hospitality and safety team.  For more information about Downtown Ambassadors and their hours of operation, click here.

Giving Back
• The Winn-Dixie Foundation presented $25,000 checks to two charities, Guardian of Dreams and Community Connections, in conjunction with the opening celebration of its newly renovated store on Market Street.  Improvements to this full-service grocery store, which serves Downtown and Springfield, were designed to accommodate the growing number of residents in the urban core.   

ICSC - Attracting Retailers and Investment
• JEDC staff had a booth presence at the 2008 ICSC Florida Conference this month.  More than 4,500 retailers, investors, brokers and others were in attendance.  JEDC staff promoted numerous Downtown development and retail opportunities.  Visit www.icsc.org for more information. 

Trolley Route Changes
• Effective August 25, JTA is changing the routes of their free Downtown trolleys.  The three new routes include stops along Beaver, Bay, Laura and Ocean Streets.  Click here to view the map. 

Jet Ski Races
• On August 29, the inaugural Personal Watercraft Poker Run will take place at The Landing.  Free docking is available for participants all weekend long.  Click here for more information. 

Development Updates
• A half-acre lot in Downtown recently sold for $1.4 million.  The parcel at the corner of West Adams and Broad Streets, which is across the street from the site of the proposed new county courthouse, was purchased by Manhattan Condominium Development, Inc., a Miami-based company.  

Buy One Get One Free
• Due to popular demand, Juliette’s Bistro now offers “Two for Thursday” in addition to “Two for Tuesday.”  Purchase one lunch entrée and receive a second lunch entrée of equal or lesser value, FREE!  Located inside the Omni Hotel, Juliette’s Bistro is open seven days a week.