Special Committee on JEA Meeting - June 8, 2026

This special committee meeting of the Jacksonville City Council focused on updates regarding JEA's capacity fee oversight, the employee culture survey, and testimony from JEA's Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks and former Chief Legal Officer Regina Ross. The meeting started at 1:00 PM and lasted until approximately 5:00 PM, with quorum maintained throughout most of the session.

Discussion Items

• Capacity Fee Audit Update: Council Auditor Philip Peterson reported that JEA has provided preliminary data for the capacity fee review. The audit team will send an additional data request imminently. The work was sidetracked by legislative action in Tallahassee and the ballot proposal, but they intend to proceed and deliver findings to the council, possibly by the meeting on June 28, 2026.

• Employee Culture Survey Update: Council Legislative Aide Jason Teal reported that the survey questions were submitted to Selection Link (the survey company) early last week. The contract is fully executed, and the survey is expected to go live on June 15, 2026. An introductory email will be sent to approximately 150–155 management-level employees and select non-managerial staff the week prior. Reminder emails will be sent during the survey period.

• JEA's Capacity Fee Issue: Jody Brooks, Chief Administrative Officer, provided a detailed statement. She explained that an unintentional administrative oversight led to JEA failing to consistently apply additional capacity charges for customers exceeding 20% of their original capacity. Over 29 years, only three instances of collection occurred. A technical memo released May 26, 2026 estimated $25.2 million in uncollected charges, representing 0.297% of JEA's $9.4 billion operating revenue over that period. JEA is conducting a case-by-case review of approximately 257 commercial accounts and has put negotiations with Mayo Clinic on hold pending a uniform policy.

• Mayo Clinic Settlement Controversy: Councilmember Jason Teal questioned Ms. Brooks about a letter dated September 16, 2025 from CEO Vicky Cavey to Mayo Clinic offering to reset the baseline for capacity charges, effectively forgiving past fees. Ms. Brooks stated the offer was made before she realized the issue was system-wide, not just Mayo-specific. She estimated Mayo's actual liability at about $6 million, not the $18.9 million previously calculated by OGC. Regina Ross later testified she was surprised by the settlement direction and had legal concerns about potential violations of the impact fee statute and bond covenants.

• Culture and Toxic Work Environment Allegations: Councilmembers questioned Ms. Brooks about her observations of CEO Vicky Cavey's demeanor. Ms. Brooks testified she had not witnessed any toxic or racist behavior in the past two years and would not work in such an environment. However, former CLO Regina Ross testified that employees frequently came to her office to vent about unprofessional conduct, shouting, and fear of retaliation. She noted that many staff felt pressure to keep their heads down and that the leadership team struggled to gel, contributing to anxiety. Ross confirmed that a former employee left early because of Ms. Cavey's promotion to permanent CEO.

• Legal Advice and Privilege Issues: During questioning, Ms. Brooks was instructed by OGC counsel not to answer a question about whether she had been warned by Regina Ross about providing unauthorized legal advice. Ross later testified that she repeatedly reminded staff that only OGC could give legal advice and that she had to intervene often when Ms. Brooks ventured into legal advice territory.

• Employee Severance Packages: Councilmember Teal asked about consulting contracts used in lieu of severance for certain employees, suggesting this could create a toxic environment through unequal treatment. Ms. Brooks acknowledged such arrangements existed for several employees going back years but could not provide details. The committee session on this topic was curtailed after discussion about scope.

• Councilmember Carlucci's Remarks: Councilmember Matt Carlucci, who attended as a visitor, expressed concern that the committee's approach was overly prosecutorial and directionless. He argued that the JEA board is capable of handling the issues and that the council should let the auditors and JEA work together without political interference. He also criticized the toxic nature of social media attacks on JEA.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken. The committee directed council staff to follow up with JEA to ensure that the employee survey results and all related comments are shared with the JEA board in a public meeting.
• The committee will continue its investigation into the capacity fee issue and culture at JEA. Additional data is expected from JEA for the capacity fee audit.
• The committee scheduled potential follow-up with other witnesses, including possibly Diane Mosier, regarding employee severance arrangements.