By Roger Bull 7-Eleven is opening 15 to 20 stores in the area this year and 80 by the end of 2015. At one time, the chain operated 90 stores in the area. But 7-Eleven faded from Jacksonville in 1990 when Gate Petroleum bought the last 28 stores in Northeast Florida and converted them to Gate Food Posts. That contract included a no-compete clause, preventing 7-Eleven from re-entering the area for 20 years. Now it’s back.

February 29, 2012 – Mayor Alvin Brown presented the key to the city to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Tuesday. They also met with 40 JROTC cadets from Mandarin High School at City Hall. The visit with the cadets was important for Mayor Brown because the program is one of four local JROTC programs he helped keep running through a public-private partnership which raised more than $200,000 last year. Jacksonville Jaguars Chief Financial Officer Bill Prescott also had a gift for Secretary Mabus—a personalized Jaguars jersey.