Vantage Hospitality Group Inc., owner of the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center Jacksonville Riverwalk, released a rendering of the preliminary vision of the project.
Improvements include remodeling guestrooms, redecorating meeting areas and replacing the roof and windows.
The 323-room hotel will remain open during the renovations, which should begin in the fourth quarter.
Vantage paid $9 million early this month for the former Wyndham, a 34-year-old hotel along the Downtown Southbank at 1515 Prudential Drive.
Brown Nester — Florida LLC, an affiliate of Coral Springs-based Vantage Hospitality, will manage the 18-month renovation project, but declines to say how much it will cost.
The architect is David Wallace DLW Architects from Dunedin and the general contractor is Phoenix Building Corp. Southeast of Stuart.
Florida State College at Jacksonville has hired Linda Woodard as its associate vice president for workforce education and economic development.
Woodard has more than 20 years’ experience in workforce and career development, including outreach, recruitment, job placement, retention services and grants management.
She’ll provide oversight for postsecondary adult vocational, associate in applied science, science and technical certificate award programs. Additionally, she’ll continue workforce programs offered through corporate and contract hiring as well as serve as a liaison with the business community.
Woodard previously served as vice president, external relations and funding in the workforce division of Cuyahoga Community College. She has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in business management.
The Jacksonville Armada FC will have a new look for its fall and 2016 seasons.
The local soccer club will have new home, away and alternate uniforms after team owner Mark Frisch worked with Nike for the customizations.
The change reflects the direction fans gave the club in picking team colors by incorporating navy, white and gold chosen for the team’s logo and patch.
An ode to the local military presence, stripes across the chest are meant to show similarities to medals.
The home uniform’s blue stripe is meant to represent the St. Johns River. The away whites are meant to resemble dress uniforms of the U.S. Navy.
The inaugural 2015 replica jerseys will no longer be available for sale.
For more information, visit armadafc.com.
Thirty new American citizens from 17 countries will take part in a naturalization ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday Downtown at the Main Library as part of World Refugee Day.
Following the event, a celebration with traditional arts, dance performances and live music will be in Hemming Park from noon-4 p.m. Children dressed in traditional garb of countries represented will lead participants to the park.
The ceremony and corresponding events are free and open to the public.
The library has been involved with World Refugee Day the past seven years. The day is meant to highlight the situations of more than 40 million refugees around the world and to celebrate their contributions.
Locally, the library’s Center for Adult Learning works with local refugee settlement groups to provide “English as a Second Language” classes.
Gov. Rick Scott has reappointed Matt Carlucci for another term to the state’s Commission on Ethics.
Carlucci is a State Farm agent, serves on various city boards and is a former City Council member. He received his associate’s degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville and a bachelor’s from the University of North Florida.
The nine-member commission serves “as the guardian of the standards of conduct for officers and employees of Florida and its political subdivisions” as an independent group.
Carlucci’s term ends June 30, 2016.
The city and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful are partnering with the First Coast chapter of the Surfrider Foundation for a beach cleanup at the Jacksonville Beach fishing pier.
It will take place from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at 503 N. First St.
Trash bags and gloves will be provided to participants who must be at least 18 or accompanied by an adult. Participants should wear sturdy footwear and sun protection.
The event also features a competition with prizes for winners, a live concert, games and surfing demonstrations.
For more details, visit firstcoast.surfrider.org.
Mark Dawkins has been named the seventh dean of the University of North Florida’s Cogging College of Business. The UNF board of trustees affirmed the appointment and his tenure as a professor of accounting and Distinguished Professor of Excellence of the PhD Project.
He started Monday.
Dawkins succeeds Ajay Samant, who served five years before taking an administrative sabbatical. Samant will return next month to UNF as a professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance.
Dawkins’ interests include connecting academic research to business practice, faculty publications, earnings assessment and bankruptcy.
Originally from Jacksonville, he received his doctorate in accounting from Florida State University and a master’s in both business administration and accounting from the University of Florida.