JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council’s Special Investigatory Committee continues its probe into allegations involving JEA.
The committee heard testimony on Monday from former JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson, as committee members continued planning an employee culture survey and discussed next steps on disputed capacity fees.
The committee was formed by City Council President Kevin Carrico after the City of Jacksonville Office of Inspector General requested assistance related to allegations involving JEA, including whether the utility failed to collect certain water and sewer capacity fees from some commercial customers over a period of years.
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The committee’s first meeting was dominated by a dispute over access to Regina Ross, a former JEA lawyer working for the city’s Office of General Counsel. Committee members have said auditors need to speak with Ross to move forward on the capacity-fee review, but the city has raised concerns about attorney-client privilege.
“if we can’t get access to Ms. Ross we may be looking at a subpoena,” Committee Chair Ron Salem said on Monday.
JEA board member asks committee to delay survey
During public comment, JEA board member John Baker urged the committee to pause its planned survey of employees, saying it is the board’s responsibility to investigate and take action.
Baker asked council members to work with JEA and warned that “dueling surveys” could divide the city.
“The most important mutual asset of the board members is they care about this city,” Baker said. “Give us a chance to do our job.”
Salem said the committee remains committed to dialogue, but committee members said they believe employees are counting on the council’s independent survey to ensure anonymity.
Committee updates: survey plans and capacity-fee review
Salem reiterated that the committee is investigating two tracks — workplace culture and capacity fees — and that they will be handled separately.
The committee is working with an outside entity to conduct an anonymous survey of current employees. Salem has previously said JEA provided a list of 147 managers and above who could receive the survey. Salem also said there will be a separate survey available for former employees who want to participate.
Salem said he is aware employees are scared of speaking out in fear of pushback. He said even the council survey is going to take convincing.
“That’s going to be a challenge because they’re afraid of any type of survey,” Salem said. “We’re going to have to convince them that those results are going to come back to us. We’ll share them with the JEA and we’ll set up a process where they go into a website. Very independent to provide their input and when you get those results back, but you’re right, it’s going to be a challenge.”
On the capacity-fee issue, Council Auditor Kim Taylor said the Office of General Counsel and Michael Fackler have indicated they will be cooperative, and said she would alert the committee if auditors encounter issues.
Wilson: ‘Everybody is scared for their job’
Wilson testified before the committee for nearly an hour. He told the committee he believes fear has spread among employees and said he witnessed what he described as troubling treatment of staff. He said employees were “scared for their job,” and described what he said was a shift in the workplace environment.
“The minute I tried to speak up, she would slap the table in front of me and say ‘No’,” Wilson said of CEO Vickie Cavey.
Wilson said he was reluctant to provide additional specific examples in public because he feared identifying employees.
“If I give the examples she will know who the individuals are,” he said. “I am scared to death if I give you an example today.”
Wilson also addressed the capacity-fee dispute, saying JEA became aware of the issue in 2022. He said when some customers do not pay what is owed, other customers effectively subsidize the system.
Wilson said he was not aware of any settlement and said the issue can create negative optics for the utility. But he said he does not believe there is any effort to hide the issue from the public.
“No I don’t feel like there was a concerted effort to hide,” he said. “Not trying to keep this hush hush it wasn’t like that.”
Concerns about ‘overreach’ and council authority
Some council members raised concerns about the scope of the investigation and City Council’s authority over JEA, which operates as an independent authority.
Councilmember Michael Boylan and Councilmember Matt Carlucci said the council does not have the ability to order JEA to discipline employees or change internal practices.
“I think what we are doing here is overreach,” Boylan said. “Not to mention I think its an unnecessary use of tax dollars.”
Councilman Rory Diamond pointed to several years ago when JEA CEO Aaron Zahn was federal charged after city council investigations.
“Where were you 5 years ago with ‘overreach’,” Diamond said.
“These are employee complaints,” Carlucci said. “Back then was criminal. That’s totally different.”
After the meeting, Salem told News4JAX that the committee’s actions would primarily involve providing information to the JEA Board, which would ultimately decide what actions to take.
“We will provide that information to the JEA board and then they’ll have to make the ultimate decision,” Salem said. “I just think this [board] in particular did not take the action they should have roughly a month ago.”
What happens next
Salem said after the meeting he is inviting JEA CEO Vickie Cavey and other senior leaders to testify, but said he is not planning subpoenas “at this point.”
“I invite Vickie Cavey to provide testimony. I welcome it. I’d like to hear from her under oath. Anyone within senior leadership at JEA. I want balance,” Salem said.
The committee is expected to continue work on the employee culture survey in the coming weeks while council auditors and the Inspector General continue reviewing capacity-fee allegations.