{"id":258261,"date":"2026-05-04T21:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258261\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T21:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T21:00:12","slug":"jacksonville-civic-council-to-city-council-drop-special-committees-jea-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258261\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville Civic Council to City Council: Drop special committee\u2019s JEA investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Jacksonville Civic Council has called for City Council to end its investigation into JEA, saying \u201cad hoc political intervention\u201d threatens the ability of the city\u2019s independent authorities to attract leadership and borrow money.<\/p>\n

In a May 4 letter to Council President Kevin Carrico and Council members, the civic council noted that the JEA board has initiated internal and independent reviews in accordance with the city charter. The city\u2019s Inspector General is examining financial questions, the letter said, and state legal authorities are also conducting reviews.<\/p>\n

The civic council says those investigations are all in line with provisions in the charter that provide distinct roles to the independent authority boards, Council and mayor\u2019s office that are \u201ccomplementary by design\u201d and \u201care meant to work in sequence, not all at once.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Council<\/p>\n

Council President Kevin Carrico on March 11, 2026, announces the creation of a special investigatory committee to look into uncharged fees at JEA and alleged misconduct by CEO Vickie Cavey.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

\u201cThese structures have been established for exactly this kind of situation, and they should be allowed to perform their functions under the Charter and our laws,\u201d the letter reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the reviews are complete, the City Council will have the standing and the responsibility to look at the findings and decide if changes are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Civic Council, founded in 2010, says it comprises more than 90 CEOs in Northeast Florida and exists to promote change by \u201cresearching the city\u2019s most pressing challenges, advocating for forward-thinking public policy, and powering strategic execution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary Chartrand, former CEO and board chair of Acosta Inc., chairs the civic council\u2019s board. Board members include Henry Brown, CEO of Miller Electric; Marty Fiorentino, president of The Florida Group lobbying firm; Mari Kuraishi, president of the Jesse Ball duPont Fund; David Miller, co-founder of Brightline Insurance; Jim O\u2019Learly, chairman and chief executive officer of Haskell; and Darnell Smith, retired Florida Blue executive and former chief of staff for Mayor Donna Deegan.<\/p>\n

\"Gary<\/p>\n

Gary Chartrand, left, and David Miller were named to top leadership roles at the Jacksonville Civic Council in 2025.<\/p>\n

Among other issues, the JEA investigations involve:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Carrico, who in mid-February attempted to replace a member of JEA\u2019s board of directors with his supervisor at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida, describing the move in a text message as a \u201cbig favor\u201d for a friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2022 Subsequent allegations of racist and hostile workplace behavior by JEA CEO Vickie Cavey.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Counter allegations by Deegan that the complaints involving Cavey were part of a \u201csmear campaign\u201d against Cavey for not renewing a contract with lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which employs former Mayor Lenny Curry and his chief of staff, Jordan Elsbury. Deegan also suggested that Curry, Elsbury and others had pressured Cavey to renew the contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2022 Questions whether former JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson acted outside his authority in approving the contract.<\/p>\n

Carrico, Cavey and Wilson have denied inappropriate behavior, and Curry and Elsbury have said the accusations of pressuring Cavey or launching a smear campaign against her were false.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jacksonville<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan speaks at a news conference Feb. 20 about what she called a “smear campaign” about JEA CEO Vickie Cavey\u2019s leadership. Seated at left listening are Parvez Ahmed, city chief of analytics; JEA board chair Joseph DiSalvo and Cavey.<\/p>\n

In addition to investigations by JEA, the city and State Attorney\u2019s Office, Florida State Attorney General James Uthmeier\u2019s office requested records involving Deegan, city Chief Administrative Officer Mike Weinstein and the Ballard Partners contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On March 11, Carrico established the Special Committee for Special Investigatory Committee on JEA Matters, which has held several hearings to question Wilson, former JEA board Chair Joseph DiSalvo and others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The civic council urges City Council to drop the investigation and instead \u201callow established governance and legal processes to run their course.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter reads:<\/p>\n

\u201cJacksonville has worked hard to build a reputation for serious, professional governance. The executives and board members our authorities need to attract have choices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey choose cities where governance is stable and predictable, not subject to ad hoc political intervention. Financial markets notice too: our authorities\u2019 access to and cost of capital is influenced by perceptions of governance quality. Credibility, once lost, is expensive and slow to rebuild.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a partisan matter. It is a question of respecting governance structures, preserving institutional integrity, and maintaining public confidence in the City of Jacksonville.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jimmy<\/p>\n

Jimmy Peluso<\/p>\n

In a text message, City Council member Jimmy Peluso expressed gratitude to the civic council for \u201cstanding up and advocating to end the Special Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Civic Council is made up of the business and philanthropic leaders who make sound decisions; not for themselves, but for a better Jacksonville. And given today\u2019s letter, they recognize how far our City Council has strayed,\u201d he said. \u201cThis Special Committee has become an unnecessary circus that is being used to create confusion and noise. Worse yet, it has the potential to harm our credit rating and further erode public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Council members have also called for an end to the special committee. Council supporters of the committee say it provides oversight that the JEA board has failed to provide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In related news, the City Council Rules Committee considered a proposal to survey current and former JEA employees about the utility\u2019s workplace culture. The civic council letter was a topic of the discussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to continue to do good government and oversight and will not be slowed down by the Civic Council or anybody else,\u201d Council member Rory Diamond said.<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory Diamond<\/p>\n

Council member Michael Boylan called the committee\u2019s investigation an \u201cexample of overreach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do understand, appreciate (that) we have investigative authority,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do on matters of policy, on matters of practice, but not on matters of personnel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The committee voted 6-1 to recommend that SelectionLink Inc., a human resources firm, conduct the survey. Boylan voted no.<\/p>\n

The proposal was contained in Ordinance 2026-0268, which set to appear before the Finance Committee on May 5 before a full Council vote.<\/p>\n

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