JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico told News4JAX on Wednesday that he has been issued a subpoena about a week after text messages revealed that he planned to nominate his boss for a position on JEA’s board because he owed them a “big favor.”
The subpoena, which was issued by the State Attorney’s Office, states that he must turn over records such as his daily calendar entries from Jan. 1, 2025, through Feb. 24, and must also include a myriad of communications records within the same time period.
Those communication records include, but are not limited to, emails, texts, direct messages, letters, faxes, handwritten notes and any other correspondence that related to the appointment of a JEA board member, JEA CEO Vickie Cavey, former JEA chief of staff Kurt Wilson, and Paul Martinez, the man whom Carrico was slated to give the JEA board position to.
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.
Carrico said he received the request on Tuesday night and says he plans to cooperate fully. He added that the situation is a part of restoring trust in the public utility and the board appointment process.
“Sure, that’s not a surprise that as much as the media has covered this text message thread between me and the former or the current JEA board member,” Carrico told News4JAX.
He continued, “So you know when those words are put out there that I’ve already owned up to and saying that it was just kind of passive language and saying that it was a favor. This state attorney has the obligation to look into that and see if there really was some kind of actual favor, transactional favor, which, of course, there wasn’t. So we’re happy to comply with this records request and give them all the information they need. Just so we can, we can clear it up and say there was indeed no favor and this is just my poor use of language and saying that I owe him a favor.”
The council president went on to say to provide more context for the message that sparked the entire ordeal.
“It’s not a favor...There’s a good person wanting to do service, and he asked me, you know, years back, ‘Hey. If there’s any time where a seat came open that I could lend my expertise and continue to serve the city, then I would love to be able to participate in that.’ It just came up. I was like, this could be a good place for you to serve, so that’s the gist of it.”
He also attributed some of the controversy to his more casual form of conversation.
“I’m the the first millennial to ever be the council president...I talk a little different and have more of a casual, laid-back collegial tone to my conversation so people that don’t understand me and my personality might see the word favor’ and really think there’s something there, but you know, unfortunately I use that in a way that I shouldn’t have and put it in a text message...We’re going to clear it up.”
Moving forward, Carrico said he doesn’t want to place any additional scrutiny on the person that does eventually fill the vacant JEA board seat, and is happy to comply with whatever the State Attorney’s Office has asked him to submit.
“I still have someone to appoint to that board...We need a good person in there and I don’t want them to come under any scrutiny or think that there’s some favors owed,” he said. “[I’m] still trying to get in contact with their current board chair and see what his decision is and what he’s looking to do...If we need to do a special investigative committee, then we’ll do that.”
Finally, when asked if favors have a place in government, Carrico said, “You shouldn’t pay anyone back for anything; they should be appointed on their merits... I believe Mr. Martinez has all the merits and all the credibility in this community to have been able to serve the JEA board.”
News4JAX contacted the State Attorney’s Office for a response on the subpoena, and received the following:
As with all inquiries of this nature, we can neither confirm nor deny the presence of an investigation.
Below is a timeline of how the situation has evolved since it began earlier this month.
Feb. 5: Texts about a “big favor”
The controversy began with text messages between Carrico and JEA board member Arthur Adams.
In the exchange, Carrico told Adams he planned to replace him and wrote that he “owed a big favor.” And had to do it for “my guy.”
Adams replied: “My plan was to stay…”
After an apparent phone call, Adams later texted that he was disappointed, but added, “I respect your decision.”
Feb. 10: Legislation introduced to replace Adams
A resolution was introduced to confirm Carrico’s appointment of Martinez to the JEA governing body, replacing Adams.
Martinez is the President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida. That’s where Carrico also serves as the VP of strategic initiatives.
Feb. 18: Carrico defends his choice; mayor’s office declines comment
As questions mounted about the text messages and the appointment process, Carrico defended the pick in a statement.
Carrico said, “The decision speaks for itself,” and said Martinez was appointed based on qualifications and a longstanding commitment to Jacksonville, citing Martinez’s role leading the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida.
The mayor’s office declined to comment at the time.
Feb. 18: Martinez withdraws
Later that same day, Martinez withdrew from consideration.
“I respect Paul Martinez’s decision and thank him for his decades of service to Jacksonville,” Carrico wrote in a statement. His leadership of one of the top-performing Boys & Girls Clubs organizations in the nation, serving 18,000 local children annually across 59 locations, speaks for itself. It’s unfortunate that political noise and unfair attacks sought to distract from a lifetime of service, but our community continues to benefit from his leadership and commitment.”
Feb. 19: Carrico raises leadership allegations; chief of staff let go
Carrico then shifted focus to leadership inside JEA.
News4JAX contacted Carrico on to ask more questions about the “big favor” he was referencing in the text message. The councilman didn’t address that question directly, but instead sent a statement that made serious allegations and questioned the leadership of JEA CEO Vickie Cavey.
In a statement, Carrico said he had received calls and met with JEA employees raising allegations including racism and a toxic corporate culture tied to the CEO. He said he expected to announce another name for the open board seat “in the coming days.”
That same night, JEA employees were informed Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson was let go, according to information shared with News4Jax.
Wilson has a connection to former mayor Lenny Curry.
In 2015, Curry appointed Wilson as Director and Fire Chief.
Carrico addressed Wilson’s departure, and a report from the Florida Times-Union that said JEA Vice Chair Rick Morales asked Cavey this week to step down from her post.
Feb. 20: Mayor, JEA board chair and CEO respond publicly
On Friday, Mayor Donna Deegan appeared alongside JEA board chair Joe DiSalvo and Cavey in a joint press conference.
“There is now a calculated initiative to intimidate our CEO and myself into resigning,” DiSalvo said.
Deegan called the situation a “vile smear campaign,” and said it escalated after Cavey resisted pressure to renew a lobbying contract with politically connected people.
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.
“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.
Deegan also tied the issue back to Jacksonville’s last JEA scandal.
“The JEA scheme was the biggest corruption scandal in Jacksonville’s history,” Deegan said.
Cavey addressed leadership and workplace culture concerns, saying she would not comment on personnel issues publicly and adding:
“Racism has no place anywhere.”
Mullaney said the press conference was a forceful defense of Cavey, but noted that key questions remain.
“As we stand here today I don’t think we have a clear picture or a full picture of exactly what has happened and why,” Mullaney said.
Following the news conference, Carrico sent a statement to News4JAX and said the “frantic press conference” showed there is a “growing crisis of confidence at JEA.”
“What is most troubling is Mayor Deegan’s direct involvement in what is supposed to be an independent authority,” Carrico wrote. “JEA was deliberately structured to operate free from political pressure, yet we are now seeing an unmistakable attempt to inject mayoral influence into decisions that belong to its independent leadership and board. When the independence of our public utility is compromised, every ratepayer should be alarmed - especially given the painful lessons from the attempted sale of JEA.”
Carrico called for all communications between the Mayor’s Office, Cavey, their staff, and JEA leadership over the past 60 days to be immediately preserved and made public.
Feb. 24: JEA’s former chief of staff accuses CEO of creating ‘fear-based culture,’ CEO calls claims ‘unsubtantiated’
Tuesday’s JEA board meeting kicked off with public comment from former JEA’s Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson, whose position was recently eliminated.
During his comment, Wilson slammed CEO Vickie Cavey, whom he accused of creating a “pattern of behavior and culture that harms employees and is toxic.”
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.
Feb 24: Carrico addresses ‘big favor’ wording; says there is ‘no quid pro quo’
Carrico spoke with News4JAX after a day of tense public meetings, saying he watched the JEA board meeting and was “a little taken aback” that the board did not immediately move toward an outside investigation.
He went on to address the text messages that sparked the entire ordeal, saying that he believed that the situation was “blown out of proportion.”
It’s just my incorrect use of passive language and using the word ”favor" loosely... Let me be clear on that and definitive. There is no quid pro quo. There’s no raise. There’s no additional things that my CEO has offered me to sit on a volunteer board."
“It’s just a poor use of the word in my case so I have to own up to that but there is no favor.”
Carrico also said the JEA board seat remains open after the withdrawal of Paul Martinez, the nominee he had backed. Carrico said he is looking at “all options” for the full-term appointment, including the possibility of reappointing Adams, and said he expects scrutiny no matter who is selected.
“All possibilities are still open right now,” Carrico said, adding that he wants to nominate “a true community leader that people trust.”
What Happens Next?
News4JAX Political Analyst Ricky Mullaney said the next phase of this situation could include more scrutiny — and possibly an investigation — depending on the seriousness of the allegations.
“There’s going to have to be a little bit of a further investigation,” Mullaney said, adding that it “may involve the inspector general for the city of Jacksonville...potentially even the state attorney’s office in the grand jury investigation because one of the things is for sure. When you get that subpoena before the grand jury it has and shine a spotlight on something it can affect behavior and that also can lead to accountability.””
He also noted that JEA board appointments — typically low-profile — are now drawing public attention.
“Typically, those board appointments are relatively invisible, but what’s happened this week has made them very visible,” Mullaney said.
Carrico still needs to name a new nominee for the open JEA board seat, and Adams’ term ends Feb. 28.
He said he plans to do that in the coming days.