The newly-discovered request is now drawing scrutiny and raising ethical concerns, particularly as a committee Carrico created is simultaneously investigating allegations of a toxic work culture<\/a> at the utility and the State Attorney\u2019s Office is probing<\/a> Carrico\u2019s handling of a JEA board appointment that started with his \u201cbig favor\u201d text message<\/a> on behalf of his boss at the Boys & Girls Clubs.<\/p>\n Internal emails reveal coordination<\/p>\n The emails show Carrico and former JEA chief of staff Kurt Wilson, who Carrico has publicly supported amid the JEA claims, had prior coordination related to community engagement efforts.<\/p>\n The emails show Carrico and former JEA chief of staff Kurt Wilson, who Carrico has publicly supported amid the JEA claims, had prior coordination related to community engagement efforts.<\/p>\n In a January 2024 email, Wilson introduced Carrico as the Chief Operating Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, to JEA\u2019s community engagement manager. The stated goal from Carrico was to \u201cconnect\u201d and explore potential \u201csynergies.\u201d<\/p>\n In a January 2024 email, Wilson introduced Carrico as the Chief Operating Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, to JEA\u2019s community engagement manager. The stated goal from Carrico was to \u201cconnect\u201d and explore potential \u201csynergies.\u201d<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/a>] <\/p>\n Wilson also noted Carrico\u2019s anticipated political rise, writing that the City Councilman would soon be running for City Council Vice President and could become Council President the following year.<\/p>\n Wilson also noted Carrico\u2019s anticipated political rise, writing that the City Councilman would soon be running for City Council Vice President and could become Council President the following year.<\/p>\n The day after that introduction, Carrico responded with what he described as a \u201cmenu\u201d of four sponsorship and marketing opportunities for JEA, referring to them as \u201cinvestments.\u201d<\/p>\n The day after that introduction, Carrico responded with what he described as a \u201cmenu\u201d of four sponsorship and marketing opportunities for JEA, referring to them as \u201cinvestments.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Duval DOGE to launch subcommittee to investigate city\u2019s telehealth provider<\/a><\/p>\n By the following month, Wilson confirmed JEA would sponsor two Boys & Girls Clubs events:<\/p>\n $2,000 for a clay shoot event in Nassau County<\/p>\n $2,500 for a Youth of the Year event<\/p>\n By the following month, Wilson confirmed JEA would sponsor two Boys & Girls Clubs events: $2,000 for a clay shoot event in Nassau County, $2,500 for a Youth of the Year event<\/p>\n Ethical concerns raised<\/p>\n Former Jacksonville City Council member Randy DeFoor said the situation raises serious ethical red flags.<\/p>\n DeFoor, who served on the 2019 JEA investigatory committee examining the failed sale of the utility, believes Carrico\u2019s actions may cross a line outlined in Jacksonville\u2019s ethics code, particularly 602.401a.<\/p>\n Jacksonville Ethics Code Provisions Applicable to City Council Members <\/a> by ActionNewsJax <\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n The code prohibits elected officials from using their position to coerce or induce others into providing financial or special benefits.<\/p>\n DeFoor said the emails appear to show Carrico leveraging his elected role to benefit his employer, something she called \u201ca misuse of the position.\u201d<\/p>\n JEA charter and sponsorship questions<\/p>\n JEA\u2019s own charter, section 21.04 U, prohibits the utility from spending money on nonprofits. However, it does allow for partnerships with other organizations if they are related to utility services or public education efforts.<\/p>\n 100074 RFP Appendix B – JEA Charter Article 21 <\/a> by ActionNewsJax <\/a><\/p>\n RELATED: Action News Jax Investigates: Texts and emails reveal how a lobbying deal tore apart JEA leadership<\/a><\/p>\n Historically, JEA has partnered with organizations such as:<\/p>\n The University of North Florida, committing $500,000 over five years to a STEM program<\/p>\n Generation WOW, a mentorship initiative for young girls, through a $400,000 agreement<\/p>\n In response to questions, JEA stated that its charter had been \u201cloosely interpreted\u201d under prior leadership but is now being applied more strictly.<\/p>\n RELATED: JEA emails reveal secret deal, lobbyist ties, insider influence by former leaders<\/a><\/p>\n The utility emphasized that it no longer provides funding to nonprofits unless the partnership directly relates to its core services:<\/p>\n \u201cJEA, based on the strict interpretation of the charter, no longer appropriates any of its funds for payments, contributions or transfer to any nonprofit organization or any other group, association or entity other than those whose primary purpose directly involves electric, water, waste water, and natural gas utility-related matters. However, JEA can promote the efficient use of its services through public education and publicize, advertise, and promote objectives of JEA.\u201d<\/p>\n Responses from those involved<\/p>\n Carrico defended his actions, stating that his work with the Boys & Girls Clubs is separate from his duties as City Council President:<\/p>\n \u201cIn my role with Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, I\u2019ve participated in outreach to community partners, including sharing information about sponsorship opportunities. That work is separate from my responsibilities as City Council President. I have no role in JEA\u2019s sponsorship decisions, which are made independently through its established processes, and I receive no personal or financial benefit. I support a fact-based process that ensures accountability and transparency for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Former Jacksonville General Counsel Jason Teal, who is currently the City Council secretary and advises council on legal matters, sent a statement responding to our questions about Carrico\u2019s fundraising efforts and whether they complied with city ethics code. He said in part:<\/p>\n \u201cIt would not be a violation of this section for a Council member to fundraise on behalf of their private organization so long as the Council member did not use their official position as a City Council member to coerce or induce the donation.\u201d<\/p>\n What comes next<\/p>\n The latest controversy comes as JEA\u2019s board prepares to hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, where public scrutiny is expected to remain high.<\/p>\n For DeFoor, the situation underscores broader concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not good for Jacksonville \u2026 it\u2019s a continuation of creating chaos where there needs to be no chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here<\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here<\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Action News Jax\u2019s Ben Becker has uncovered internal emails showing that Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico asked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1913,12981,832,25309,21370,77098,116,4040,118,117,501,5896,97138],"class_list":["post-212341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-action-news","tag-boys-girls-clubs","tag-city-council","tag-city-council-president","tag-community-engagement","tag-ethical-concerns","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-city-council","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-jea","tag-kevin-carrico","tag-kurt-wilson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2e29034c41efd3eba28cc5caa38e0296.jpeg\"\/)
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