Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is defending JEA CEO Vickie Cavey from what she calls a politically motivated\u00a0\u201csmear campaign\u201d alleging the utility executive has allowed a toxic corporate culture and racism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deegan appeared with Cavey and JEA board Chair Joseph DiSalvo in a news conference Friday at City Hall where the mayor called Cavey an \u201chonest and trustworthy public servant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The move came after reports<\/a> that JEA board member Rick Morales asked Cavey to resign this week. it followed comments by Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico<\/a> that he fielded complaints from JEA employees with allegations of racism, a toxic workplace and leadership challenges.<\/p>\n But the mayor claims the effort to discredit Cavey is retribution for JEA\u2019s decision not to renew a lobbying contract with Ballard Partners Inc., where former Lenny Curry is a partner and his former chief of staff, Jordan Elsbury, manages the Jacksonville office.<\/p>\n \u201cThis vile smear campaign magically appeared after she resisted pressure to renew a lobbying contract with people who are politically connected to a handful of council members including our council president,\u201d Deegan said. \u201cThat\u2019s when all of this started.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2019 and 2020, Curry\u2019s administration endorsed an effort to sell JEA<\/a> \u2014 Jacksonville\u2019s publicly owned electric, water and wastewater utility \u2014 to a private company. The process led to the resignation of several JEA executives and the federal conspiracy conviction of its CEO at the time, Aaron Zahn.\u00a0<\/p>\n No one in the Curry administration was accused of legal wrongdoing.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the same people who were part of the effort to sell our public utility, and frankly who have been responsible for much of the toxic political culture in Jacksonville the people elected me to end,\u201d Deegan said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Cavey cut the position of JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson. She dropped the role after Wilson spoke with board members about Cavey\u2019s leadership, according to a report by the Florida Times-Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n JEA and Ballard<\/p>\n JEA\u2019s most recent relationship with Ballard Partners began in February 2025, when the utility executed a $153,000, one-year contract for Duval County and federal executive branch services. The contract had an option for JEA to renew for up to five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Cavey and a JEA spokesperson, that contract was not used enough to renew. Despite ending the federal and local lobbying arrangement, JEA still retains Ballard Services in Tallahassee.\u00a0<\/p>\n JEA said it put out an invitation to negotiate to hire lobbyists to represent the utility in the Florida Capitol after its 15-year lobbying team joined Ballard\u2019s Tallahassee office. Ballard ended up winning that JEA contract at $168,000 for one year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elbsury told Jacksonville Today on Friday that his Ballard office had little interaction with JEA related to the firm\u2019s federal lobbying contract. He says Ballard was supposed to advise and help the utility navigate likely changes in federal energy policy after the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n According to Elsbury, he facilitated meetings between utility officials and Ballard D.C.-based lobbyists, but says neither he nor Curry had direct conversations with Cavey related to the contract. Elsbury said he didn\u2019t know about Deegan\u2019s comments until reporters contacted him. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJEA is a current client of ours. This is the Wizard of Oz,\u201d Elsbury said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure what (Deegan is) referring to. But she can blame us for whatever she wants. I haven\u2019t spoken to the CEO over there or anyone on their board. And apparently it was good enough work that they selected us again in Tallahassee.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When reporters asked Cavey on Friday who was calling her about the Ballard contracts or if she was pressured, she hesitated. She then said that she never felt threatened or that she was under a \u201cpressure campaign.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Deegan interjected and said, \u201cVickie, tell the truth and shame the devil. \u2026 I want you to be honest and stop protecting people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Cavey then alluded to being asked to renew the contract but said the order had already been given to terminate it.<\/p>\n The mayor said her comments Friday were not to pick a fight with City Council or the larger Ballard Partners firm.<\/p>\n According to Deegan, she didn\u2019t know about the contract until it was done, but indicated someone from her administration knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think someone, probably, from my office expressed surprise that the contract would go to somebody who had played such a large role in the conversations and the efforts around the entire scheme around JEA,\u201d Deegan said. \u201cBut there was never any pressure from our side to do anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Cavey was named JEA\u2019s managing director and CEO in April 2024. She\u2019s worked for the utility for 32 years.<\/p>\n She retired from JEA in 2016 but returned as special assistant for external affairs to interim CEO Paul McElroy in 2020, then worked for CEO Jay Stowe as board liaison until January 2021. She first joined JEA in 1984 as a mechanical engineer in the power engineering division, one of JEA\u2019s first female engineers.<\/p>\n Carrico\u2019s texts<\/p>\n Before the mayor weighed in, the latest JEA drama began early this week after Action News Jax<\/a> reported that Carrico sent a text message<\/a> to a JEA board member and retired CSX executive Arthur Adams. The message said the council president was not going to renominate Adams to the board.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up bro \u2026 hey I owed a big favor to a friend and opted to put him on the JEA board as your term is expiring. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Carrico, a vice president at the Boys & Girls Club, nominated his boss, CEO Paul Martinez, who has since removed himself from consideration for the seat.<\/p>\n A JEA charter change was made in 2020 by voter referendum and a 19-0 vote of the City Council as a response to the failed sale attempt. It removed the mayoral authority to all seven JEA board members. That power is now split, four with the council president and three with the mayor. The full council confirms the appointments.\u00a0<\/p>\n Council members Jimmy Peluso, Michael Boylan and Matt Carlucci expressed concerns this week about Carrico\u2019s text exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n But council member Rory Diamond, who sits on the Finance and DOGE committees, took to social media Friday after the mayor\u2019s news conference calling for an investigation into Wilson\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n