JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and JEA CEO Vickie Cavey will answer questions Friday at City Hall as the city-owned utility has become mired in yet another controversy.
The current issue centers on text messages from City Council President Kevin Carrico to a JEA board member, and Carrico’s comments that he has received multiple reports of racism and a toxic culture within the utility.
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Carrico has faced backlash in recent days after text messages seemed to reveal that at least part of Carrico’s motivation for nominating his boss, Paul Martinez, for a position on JEA’s board was that he owed him a “big favor.”
Following the backlash and calls for Martinez to withdraw, Martinez bowed out on Wednesday evening. 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 introduced a resolution on Feb. 10 to nominate 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 is close to expiring.
“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.”
After the texts became public, critics spoke out.
In a statement to News4JAX, Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin called the move a “breach of public trust” and later added it was an example of the “Good Ole’ Boy network” being caught red-handed.
Councilman Jimmy Peluso called the text an example of “corruption at its finest.”
News4JAX contacted Carrico on Thursday to ask more questions about the “big favor” he referenced in the text message. Instead of addressing our question directly, Carrico sent the following statement that made serious allegations and questioned Cavey’s leadership:
“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. 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.
“I have a vested interest in maintaining the integrity and efficacy of this utility, JEA is an integral part of every day Jacksonville and a vital part of our constituents and business day to day.... My advocacy and endorsement of a community leader, mentor, friend, and highly capable businessman is nothing more than that. As councilman I have been afforded relationships that prove vital to the success and forward movement of our incredible city. This is much to do about nothing, whatever the board decides I of course, will be happy with, but I would be remiss if I didn’t advocate for a true friend and steward of this community.”
Carrico did not provide any examples to back up his allegations, an issue that was addressed by City Councilman Matt Carlucci, who spoke with News4JAX on Friday.
“When you’re making serious allegations as the council president is doing, he owes it to the council and mostly to the public, the rate payers, to present it transparently,” Carlucci said. “I mean, if these concerns are true, then he needs to bring them with clarity. He needs to bring some proof, facts, and they need to go through a proper process.”
Carlucci said that he’s seen those “proper” processes skipped before by council members who seem to be after attention.
“I see it quite often from different members of the council. They make allegations, but they have nothing to back it up. And they get the headlines,” Carlucci said. “But in this case with the JEA, those headlines have ripple effects that directly contribute to unrest in the community, unrest in bonding agencies and unrest in probably the most important authority that we have, which is the JEA and their employees. And so I think that is dangerous. I don’t think that it’s healthy for this community. ”
News4JAX contacted JEA and Cavey directly on Thursday to see if they had any comment on Carrico’s statement, but they did not immediately respond.
Then, a news conference with Cavey, Mayor Deegan and JEA Board Chair Joseph DiSalvo was announced for 12:30 p.m. Friday.
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.