Soon after voting Dec. 24 to end talks about selling the city-owned utility, the JEA board directed the leadership team to release information about the bidders, starting Dec. 27.
JEA sought bidders through an invitation to negotiate approved July 25.
The board unanimously voted to end the ITN 127-19 Strategic Alternatives process at the Dec. 24 emergency board meeting.
Interim CEO Melissa Dykes said the process cost at least $10 million to date.
“The Board directed the JEA leadership team to immediately release the ITN information in accordance with applicable law, and as a result, the process to release this information has begun,” JEA said in a statement released by media relations manager Gina Kyle.
“ITN respondents are now being contacted, per ITN requirements, and our goal is to release ITN replies from all 16 respondents by close of business on Friday, December 27,” it said.
JEA said additional information connected to the ITN process and responses will be released after conducting the required legal review.
Kyle’s release said JEA senior leadership is creating a document repository on jea.com to house “all frequently requested documents.”
JEA is adding staff to help meet the demand for public records requests, it said.
City Council members, the public and others increasingly raised concerns about the sale. Mayor Lenny Curry asked board Chair April Green to end the process.
At the Dec. 24 meeting, board member Henry Brown offered an amendment to the resolution requiring JEA to immediately release all information related to the ITN process, other than information contained in the responses that is protected from disclosure by state law.
The board approved the amendment and then the resolution.