Special Investigative Committee on JEA Meeting - March 23, 2026
Special Investigative Committee on JEA Meeting - March 23, 2026
The Special Investigative Committee on JEA met on March 23, 2026, to address allegations of a toxic and racist workplace at JEA, capacity fee issues, and the conduct of a workplace survey. The committee heard public testimony, discussed a letter of information requests to JEA, received an update on the capacity fee audit, and heard sworn testimony from former JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Baker (JEA board member, speaking as a citizen) expressed support for JEA's internal investigation and urged the committee to delay its survey, warning that dueling surveys could harm JEA and split the community. He asked the committee to give JEA a chance to handle the matter and suggested involving the inspector general if needed.
- John Nooney (Jacksonville resident) made general comments about city boards and commissions, praising former JEA employee Mr. Wilson's helpfulness.
Discussion Items
- JEA Survey Update: Chair Salem announced discussions with potential survey vendors and noted the need to include field employees and former employees. A formal announcement is expected at the next meeting.
- Information Requests to JEA: Councilmember Pittman proposed a comprehensive list of questions covering employee counts, organizational structure, compensation, diversity data, executive transitions, career development programs, and internal surveys. The committee approved a motion to empower OGC to draft a letter incorporating these questions and additions from Councilmember Diamond (promotions, demotions, disciplinary actions). The motion passed unanimously.
- Capacity Fee Audit: Council Auditor Kim Taylor reported that her office met with JEA General Counsel to begin gathering records dating back to the 1980s/1990s. JEA is cooperating, but the task is time-intensive. The committee agreed to proceed with the audit and escalate if issues arise.
- Testimony of Kurt Wilson: Wilson was sworn in and testified for approximately 40 minutes on the work environment under CEO Vicky Cavey and on capacity fee issues. He described a climate of fear, instances of harsh treatment by Cavey, and the termination of employees who raised concerns. He also discussed the discovery in 2022 of unbilled capacity fees affecting multiple customers, including a major client (implied to be Mayo Clinic). He stated the CEO and management were aware but had not brought the issue to the board. He also addressed the Ballard lobbying contract, stating that Mayor Donna Deegan pressured Cavey to cancel it due to former Mayor Lenny Curry's involvement. Wilson denied any effort to hide the capacity fee issue. He could not answer questions about privileged communications with JEA's former general counsel.
- Councilmember Jurisdiction Debate: Councilmembers Boylan and Peluso argued that the committee's actions may exceed the City Council's authority under Article 21 of the charter, which grants JEA independent authority over personnel. Councilmember Diamond countered that oversight is the council's duty.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Passed: The committee unanimously approved a motion to draft a letter requesting detailed information from JEA on employee demographics, compensation, promotions, demotions, disciplinary actions, and internal programs. The letter will be signed by the committee chair and sent to JEA's human resources head.
- Capacity Fee Audit: The committee agreed to let the Council Auditor's office proceed with its audit, with reporting back on any obstacles.
- Next Steps: The committee will continue to gather testimony and surveys. Council President Carrico raised the possibility of using the Inspector General or Office of Human Rights to allow employees to speak confidentially. OGC will explore options.
- No Action on Ballard Contract: The committee took no formal action on the Ballard lobbying contract, which is not part of its official charge.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I want to call the special investigative committee on JEA to order. Let me begin by introductions to my far left. Let me say I've had a bad cold for several days, so my voice is a little off, but uh I'll get through this. Colleen Hampty, Council Research. Harry Stephopolis, Office of General Counsel. Brian Parks, Council Auditor's Office. Kim Taylor, Council Auditor. Jason Thiel, City Council Legislative Council. Good afternoon, Rory Diamond, District 13, the beaches. Ron Salem, group two at large. Terrence Freeman at large, group one. Michael Boylan, District 6, just visiting. Mike Gay, District 2. Good afternoon, Chris Miller, at large group 5, just visiting. Good afternoon, Matt Carlucci, just visiting at large group four. Randy White, District 12. Okay. Ms. Pittman got stopped by a train. She's on her way, which should be here momentarily. Okay. Let me uh let me make some comments on the uh on the JEA survey. Um had uh I've had some discussions about uh from a couple of different entities about performing the survey. Um hopefully when we come back uh after the break, we'll have something more official to announce in a specific entity that will be performing the survey. Um we've got the number of people. I I've had people that are not part of the 150 roughly that work in the building that are out in the field that wish to participate, which adds a challenge to us, in addition to some ex-employees that want to participate. So we're trying to work through a system that we can keep those groups separate, but yet still obtain uh information from them. And uh as I said, we hope to have something more concrete to present at our next meeting on the survey. Um let me now go to public comment. I have one card from uh John Baker. Mr. Baker, I'll give you three minutes up at the podium, please. Is the microphone on it's can somebody. There you go. It's on now. My name is John Baker. My address is 3710 Richmond Street, 32205. I am a member of the JEA board, but I come as a as a citizen on my own account today. There have been allegations that there is a toxic and racist workplace at JEA. It is the JEA's board's duty and responsibility to investigate it, and we have announced that we will conduct an independent survey run by professionals that are clearly unbiased in this matter. Then we will take the appropriate action to rectify any unsatisfactory issues. Thank you. I respectfully implore you to work with JEA on this matter. The JEA board has the responsibility and authority to handle personnel matters, and we are initiating that right now. I would hope you would delay your survey until you see the results of our internal investigation. For you to run a separate simultaneous survey based on calls from disgruntled employees, is a surefire way to split this city right down the middle and do harm to its most valuable asset. JEA is an independent authority for a reason. And our board, present company accepted, are experienced in running large organizations and dealing with complex personnel issues. Give us a chance to do our job.
openpublica.com