{"id":170302,"date":"2026-02-26T17:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/170302\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:42:11","slug":"kevin-carrico-rejects-jimmy-peluso-call-to-temporarily-step-down-as-jacksonville-city-council-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/170302\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Carrico rejects Jimmy Peluso call to temporarily step down as Jacksonville City Council President"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Jacksonville City Council President\u00a0Kevin Carrico\u2019s antagonists is urging the Southside Republican to step down from his leadership role.<\/p>\n

City Council member Jimmy Peluso<\/a>, a Democrat representing the Urban Core, Riverside and Avondale, says Carrico should temporarily relinquish the presidency in light of questions about his actions regarding a JEA Board position.<\/p>\n

Carrico rejects the suggestion, meanwhile.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is nothing more than political theater from the biggest Drama Queen on the City Council. My office is fully complying with the State Attorney\u2019s requests and will continue to do so. While Mr. Peluso chases relevance, he has established himself as the least effective member of this Council and has neglected his district for most of his term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peluso\u2019s record may be up for debate, but the events in this controversial arc are not.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Carrico reached out to JEA Board member\u00a0Arthur Adams Jr.<\/a> to urge him to step down, saying that he owed a \u201cbig favor<\/a>\u201d to his intended appointment and boss at his day job, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, Paul Martinez.<\/p>\n

The outcry has led to an investigation from the 4th Circuit State Attorney\u2019s Office, with communications sought between Carrico and board members, former JEA Chief of Staff\u00a0Kurtis Wilson, and Martinez relating to a potential board appointment. Additionally, any other communication with words like \u201cJEA,\u201d \u201cBoard appointment,\u201d and \u201clobbying contract\u201d are also part of the request.<\/p>\n

Carrico didn\u2019t respond to a text asking for comment on Peluso\u2019s call for him to step down, but the two have beefed since Carrico took over the presidency. After appointing Peluso only to the low-prestige Transportation, Energy, and Utilities (TEU) Committee<\/a>, Peluso skipped the first meeting and was then removed from all standing committees.<\/p>\n

Carrico has defended his approach to texting, saying it\u2019s because he\u2019s a \u201cmillennial\u201d and therefore prone to \u201ctalk a little different and have more of a casual, laid-back collegial tone to my conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps, though, it was too laid back and collegial, especially regarding the administration of Jacksonville\u2019s public utility, which has been a flashpoint of controversy for the last decade, rife with political machinations and power plays.<\/p>\n

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