JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council member Jimmy Peluso is calling on Council President Kevin Carrico to temporarily step aside from his leadership position while records are being reviewed following a subpoena tied to Carrico’s communications about JEA.
In a letter to Carrico, Peluso said the request is about protecting public trust as the State Attorney’s Office seeks a wide range of Carrico’s records connected to the ongoing controversy surrounding a JEA board appointment and the “big favor” text message exchange that sparked public scrutiny.
“Public trust is vital to our success as a democracy,” Peluso wrote.
Peluso said he is not asking Carrico to resign from the City Council, nor is he asking him to step down permanently.
Instead, Peluso urged Carrico to step aside temporarily as Council President until the State Attorney’s Office “has removed any possibility of wrongdoing, pointing to JEA’s recent history and the public’s sensitivity to anything that resembles past scandals.
He added that JEA has been under a spotlight, and the city is still working to rebuild confidence in the publicly owned utility.
Carrico responded with a sharply worded statement to News4JAX.
“This is nothing more than political theater from the biggest Drama Queen on the City Council,” Carrico said. “My office is fully complying with the State Attorney’s requests and will continue to do so. While Mr. Peluso chases relevance, he has established himself as the least effective member of this Council and has neglected his district for most of his term.”
The State Attorney’s Office previously provided News4JAX this statement regarding the subpoena: “As with all inquiries of this nature, we can neither confirm nor deny the presence of an investigation.”
The subpoena deadline for records is March 10.
When asked earlier this week whether the subpoena would affect the timeline for filling the open JEA board seat, Carrico told News4JAX he planned to “march ahead and do the work for the city” as the appointment process continues.
Timeline: How we got here
Feb. 5: Texts about a ‘big favor’
The controversy began with text messages between City Council President Kevin Carrico and JEA board member Arthur Adams.
In the exchange, Carrico told Adams that at least part of his motivation to nominate his boss, Paul Martinez, for a position on JEA’s board happened because he owed him a “big favor.”
RELATED | Digging deeper into controversial text messages and the JEA scandal
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.”
Adams was appointed to the board in January 2025, and his term is set to expire on Feb. 28.
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.
RELATED | Support grows for JEA board member amid questions of ‘favor’ Carrico says he owed his boss
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.
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 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.
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: 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.”
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. 23: Curry disputes alleged role in JEA controversy
Curry told News4JAX he believes Deegan was referring to him and the firm where he is a partner, Ballard Partners, during a Friday news conference where the current mayor responded to Carrico’s claims that racism, a toxic work culture, and other leadership problems at JEA are tied to CEO Vickie Cavey.
Curry pointed to a moment during the news conference when Deegan described the allegations as a pressure campaign, and Cavey appeared to dispute that characterization.
“But in a live press conference, she was basically called a liar by the CEO of JEA. And she doubled down on it when Donna made these accusations,” Curry said. “Vickie, the CEO of the utility, said, with all due respect, Mayor, that never happened. And then she made some weird comment about the devil. Donna did. And Vickie said that didn’t happen, essentially saying, Mayor, that’s not true.”
Curry also pushed back on public reporting that tied him or his firm to efforts around JEA’s leadership.
“Allegations that I was somehow involved with what’s happening at JEA, the future of this current CEO. I was completely unaware of it.”
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.
Feb. 25: Jacksonville City Council president issued subpoena
Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico told News4JAX on that he had 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.
Carrico said he received the request on Tuesday night and said 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.