JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tensions ran high at the JEA Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday as the former chief of staff heavily criticized the CEO’s leadership and doubled down on allegations that she has created a toxic workplace culture.
Tuesday’s meeting kicked off with public comment from former JEA’s Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson, who was recently terminated. During his comment, Wilson slammed CEO Vickie Cavey, whom he accused of creating a “pattern of behavior and culture that harms employees.”
Cavey responded to the allegations, calling them “unsubstantiated” and “false.”
“My leadership style is rigorous, and it is fair, consistent and grounded in respect. I hold senior leaders to high standards because JEA’s mission is critical,” Cavey said during Tuesday’s meeting.
RELATED | Timeline: How ‘big favor’ texts sparked a JEA board shakeup and allegations about utility leadership
Scrutiny of JEA’s leadership began with a dispute involving City Council President Kevin Carrico over a JEA board appointment.
Carrico faced backlash after text messages seemed to reveal that at least part of his motivation to nominate his boss, Paul Martinez, to replace board member Arthur Adams Jr. happened because he owed him a “big favor.”
Martinez, the current president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, where Carrico works as the vice president of strategic initiatives, withdrew from consideration amid the backlash.
News4JAX contacted Carrico to ask more questions about the “big favor” he was referencing in the text message, but didn’t address the question directly. Instead, Carrico shifted the focus to the leadership inside JEA.
In a statement last week, Carrico said he had received calls and met with JEA employees raising allegations, including racism and a toxic corporate culture tied to the CEO.
“Since becoming Council President and as a leader of this community, I have unfortunately taken numerous meetings and calls from JEA employees with allegations of racism, toxic corporate culture, and other leadership challenges associated with the CEO,” Carrico wrote. “I am currently having conversations with community leaders interested in addressing these challenges and moving our utility forward. I look forward to announcing a name in the coming days given then [sic] disturbing culture observed at our utility.”
That same night, JEA employees were informed Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson was let go, according to information shared with News4JAX.
A day after Carrico raised the allegations against the CEO, Mayor Donna Deegan and some JEA officials, including Cavey, held a joint news conference to push back against the claims.
“This vile smear campaign magically appeared after (Cavey) resisted pressure to renew a lobbying contract with people who are politically connected to a handful of council members, including our council president,” Deegan said. “These are the same people who are part of the effort to sell our public utility. And frankly, who have been responsible for much of the toxic political culture in Jacksonville.”
Deegan and Cavey did not name the lobbying firm, and Cavey denied the existence of a “pressure campaign,” but Cavey did say that JEA ended its contract with the firm on Jan. 31 because JEA was not using its services.
State lobbying records show that lobbyists with Ballard Partners were registered to lobby for JEA, but in the fourth quarter of 2025, Ballard Partners was not compensated by JEA for any state lobbying activities. According to Ballard Partners’ website, two partners are assigned to the Jacksonville office: Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Jordan Elsbury, Curry’s former Chief of Staff.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Wilson doubled down on the allegations against Cavey, saying in part that he watched “firsthand how she systematically created a fear-based culture.”
“I could not, in good conscience, remain silent when so many have asked for help,” Wilson said.
Wilson called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Cavey, and said that he will remain “ready and willing” to talk with an investigator and detail “his concerns and those of his colleagues.”
Watch Wilson’s full public comment in the video below
Cavey also addressed the room during Tuesday’s meeting.
The CEO defended JEA’s culture and her leadership, and she denied the accusations against her. She said that if the allegations were true, “they would not suddenly appear overnight in a political news cycle.”
“In fact, they would have surfaced long before now, in annual report employment reviews, in board feedback through customer and employee engagement channels, or in the independent assessments this organization undergoes regularly,” Cavey said.
Watch Cavey’s remarks in the video below
Jacksonville City Councilman Ron Salem called the recent events “disturbing.” He also addressed Wilson’s termination which came after the chief of staff position was eliminated.
“This type of termination has a devastating impact on the employees and their ability to provide feedback,” Salem said.
Some JEA employees also spoke during public comment about Cavey’s leadership.
One of those employees is the manager of technical training. He praised Cavey’s performance, especially after the “challenging” times back in 2019 during the scandal involving former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn, who was accused of trying to defraud taxpayers of millions of dollars.
“There was a considerable amount of uneasiness among the employees due to these past events,” he said. “She earned their trust with her authenticity and, of course, her confidence in the JEA mission.”
While Wilson acknowledged that some employees may have positive reviews about Cavey, he said the issue is “the part that you don’t see.”
“Dozens of my remaining colleagues work in fear of retribution and hostility,” Wilson said.
After the heated discussions, Chair Joseph DiSalvo addressed “the elephant in the room” and called for a vote of confidence in Cavey’s leadership. Only JEA Vice Chair Rick Morales voted against it.
The next board meeting is scheduled for March 31.