City investigatory committee holds first meeting on JEA’s finances, workplace culture allegations

The Jacksonville City Council’s special committee is investigating claims about JEA’s financial practices and alleged toxic workplace culture.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A special committee of the Jacksonville City Council is launching an investigation into JEA, focusing on both the utility’s finances and allegations about its workplace culture.

Council members are examining whether certain capacity fees were not collected and how much money could be owed back to the city. They also plan to hear directly from current and former employees as part of the review.

The three-member committee, chaired by Ron Salem and including Ju’Coby Pittman and Rory Diamond, held its first meeting Tuesday, just days after being formed. 

The committee is tasked with examining two primary issues: whether JEA failed to collect one-time capacity fees tied to water and wastewater connections, and claims of a toxic workplace culture under current leadership.

Salem said the cultural concerns are urgent, citing fear among employees.

“Employees are scared to death over there,” Salem said. “I just can’t emphasize that enough after what happened to Kurt Wilson, who came terminated the next day. That sells a chilling effect through the employees, which is why I want this to occur as quickly as we can.”

Salem was referencing the case of former JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson, whose position was eliminated after he raised concerns about morale. 

A key obstacle emerged during the meeting: access to testimony from former JEA attorney Regina Ross. Salem said the city’s Office of General Counsel indicated Ross may not be available to speak due to potential attorney-client privilege.

That drew pushback from Diamond, who argued Ross is central to the investigation.

“She’s no longer at JEA. She’s at the center of this question. And now the Office of General Counsel is saying we can’t ask her questions. That’s nuts,” Diamond said. “There is no attorney-client privilege among city gov and OGC about a matter of public importance when there is no pending litigation. It doesn’t exist. It’s a lie.”

“I don’t understand why we cant have a conversation with her because she knows internally and has experienced some of the conversations we’re hearing,” Councilmember Ju’Coby Pittman said.

According to council legal counsel Jason Teal, the committee has the authority to issue subpoenas if witnesses refuse to cooperate. Failure to comply could result in fines or jail time under city ordinance.

“In the council rules and ordinance code, a duty imposed upon any individual that is called by a committee or as part of an investigation to fully participate to the best of their ability,” Teal said.

“We plan to participate, assist the auditors and this committee as the office of general counsel to the best of our abilities,” said Dylan Reingold, Deputy Chief of Office of General Counsel. 

The special committee also plans to gather information through anonymous surveys. One will be sent to 147 current JEA employees at the manager level, while a second will target former employees. The surveys are intended to assess workplace culture while protecting participants from retaliation.

Pittman emphasized the need to support employees who may be hesitant to come forward.

“I’m here and really just want to help the people who are afraid to speak,” Pittman said. “All they want to do is keep their job and do their work.”

She also requested data on African American employees who have been promoted, demoted or terminated during the tenure of JEA CEO Vickie Cavey, as part of the committee’s review of discrimination allegations.

Not all council members agree with how the investigation is being handled. Although not on the committee, Matt Carlucci attended the meeting and voiced concerns about fairness and transparency.

“I don’t think these meetings are of any value unless you have everybody here to give both sides of the story,” Carlucci said.

The meeting also included a heated exchange between Salem and Carlucci during public discussion.

As part of its actions Tuesday, the committee approved sending a formal notice instructing anyone involved in the investigation to preserve all relevant documents, including emails and text messages.

Salem said any JEA employees or members of the administration who wish to speak with the committee can contact his office.

City Council President Kevin Carrico, who formed the special committee, was also in attendance. Carrico will be able to participate and vote during these meetings.

At this time, Carrico is also being investigated by the State Attorney’s Office for an unrelated JEA issue revolving around his recent attempt at nominating a member to the utility’s board.

First Coast News reached out to JEA on Monday and they referred us to their previous statement released:

“JEA remains committed to delivering essential services to our customers in the most effective and efficient manner. We ensure that JEA employees have easily accessible resources to address any personal and professional concerns. At the core of JEA’s values is accountability and respect for the more than 2,000 employees, who are the backbone of this organization.”

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m.