JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City Council President Kevin Carrico is facing backlash after text messages seemed to reveal that at least part of his motivation to nominate his boss for a position on JEA’s board happened because he owed him a “big favor.”
Carrico introduced a resolution on Feb. 10 to nominate Paul Martinez as a member of the JEA board to replace current board member Arthur Adams Jr., who was appointed to the board in January 2025 and whose term, according to Carrico, is close to expiring.
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Martinez is the current president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, where Carrico works as the vice president of strategic initiatives.
“What up bro...hey I owed a big favor to a friend and opted to put him on the JEA Board as your term is expiring,” Carrico wrote to Adams on Feb. 5 in text messages provided by JEA. “Not sure if you wanted to stay but I needed to do this for my guy. Tab is on me when we link up next.👊”
In the text thread, Adams responded that his “plan was to stay.”
Carrico then said he would call him.
“Thanks for taking my call,” Adams responded in another text. “I’m disappointed-I wanted to serve a full term and felt I was adding real value. I’ve appreciated the experience and the feedback I’ve received on labor/union, operations, and heavy industrial expertise, along with public-company leadership perspective. I respect your decision. Wishing you will, and I’m available if you ever need anything.”
“Of course, man, thanks for understanding,” Carrico responded. “I know you served your city well. Thanks and I look forward to having a drink with you man”
After the texts became public, critics questioned the move.
News4JAX asked Carrico for a comment on the text messages and the criticism that followed, and he sent News4JAX this statement: “The decision speaks for itself. Paul Martinez was appointed based on his qualifications and longstanding commitment to Jacksonville. He is a respected civic leader, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida serving 18,000 children annually across 59 locations, and a public servant who has worked effectively under both Republican and Democrat administrations. I’m proud of the decision to make this change at the JEA Board and confident Paul will serve with integrity and sound judgment.”
In a statement to News4JAX, Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin called the move a “breach of public trust.”
“Stating openly that a JEA board seat is being used to repay a personal favor undermines confidence in City Council’s commitment to fair, independent governance. It suggests the process is susceptible to cronyism, not guided by qualifications and community needs,” Rumlin wrote.
The JEA board is made up of seven members. Four members are nominated by the Jacksonville City Council president and confirmed by the council; three members are appointed by the mayor of Jacksonville and confirmed by the council. The board of directors then appoints a managing director and CEO, who selects a top tier of management, the leadership team.
Changes to how the JEA board is selected were made in 2020, following a scandal revolving around the proposed sale of JEA that ended with the conviction of former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.
Previously, it was the mayor’s responsibility to appoint every member of the board, and those selections were approved by the City Council.
“The post-2020 safeguards for JEA’s governance were explicitly designed to prevent backroom dealing and restore public trust after a period of scandal and instability,” Rumlin wrote. “[Carrico’s] text message suggests those safeguards are being treated as a technicality rather than a binding mandate for transparent, merit-based appointments in the public interest.”
Rumlin called for the withdrawal of “any attempt to replace JEA board members for reasons unrelated to objective qualifications, performance, and the public interest.”
Councilman Jimm Peluso called the text an example of “corruption at its finest.”
“I have no doubt Paul is a great candidate, but this story only affirms what we already knew, the leadership in Council is more interested in doing favors as opposed to doing the work of the people,” Peluso said in a statement.
According to Martinez’s resume attached to the ordinance, he was the city’s director of intragovernmental services from 2013 to 2015. He was CEO of Martinez and Advertising Group from 1995 to 2013, and was founder and CEO of the Car Channel from 1991 to 1994.
Martinez also serves as a board member on the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as a board member on the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board, among other roles.
Adams was a Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at CSX until August of 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was appointed to the board in January of last year. Adams replaced A. Zachary Faison Jr., who resigned in 2024 after he faced the possibility of removal. He was supposed to serve until 2026.
JEA said it does not dictate the provisions of board member selections or qualifications and had no further comment on the text exchange.
Martinez’s appointment is set to appear before the Council Rules Committee before a full Council vote.
The appointment of Martinez is on the agenda for the Feb. 24 city council meeting.
The mayor’s office declined to comment on the text exchange.