Accusations of racism and a toxic work culture at city utility JEA under CEO Vickie Cavey’s leadership are a “smear campaign” against Cavey and the JEA for resisting pressure to renew a lobbying contract with a firm with connections to Jacksonville City Council members, Mayor Donna Deegan said Feb. 20.
In a news conference with Cavey and JEA board chair Joseph DiSalvo, Deegan said criticism of Cavey from Council President Kevin Carrico and former JEA chief of staff Kurt Wilson was retribution toward the CEO for declining to extend the contract with Ballard Partners. Ballard Partners employs former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a political ally of Carrico, and Jordan Elsbury, Curry’s former chief of staff.
JEA entered into a contract with Ballard Partners in February 2025, with an option to extend the agreement by one year for the following three years.
After Curry registered with the city as a lobbyist in November 2025, JEA opted not to extend the contract when it expired on Jan. 31, 2026.
On Feb. 19, Carrico issued a statement accusing Cavey of “racism, toxic corporate culture, and other leadership challenges.” Carrico, the Council president, said he made the accusations after “numerous meetings and calls” from JEA employees.
Criticism also came from JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson, who said in a statement to The Florida Times-Union he was fired after he told DiSalvo that for two years he had “counseled the CEO that her treatment of select staff and subordinates was not appropriate. Wilson did not return messages requesting further comment.
“On Wednesday (Feb. 18), I brought my concerns to the board chair and the question was asked, ‘Why haven’t employees called me?’ Twelve hours later my position was eliminated. This is why,” Wilson wrote in the statement.
Asked to resign
JEA board Vice Chair Rick Morales asked Cavey to resign as CEO, according to the Times-Union.
During the Feb. 20 news conference, Deegan and DiSalvo defended Cavey against her accusers.
“These are the same people who were part of the effort to sell our public utility,” Deegan said. “The fact that those who want to control JEA for money and power are willing to smear a faithful public servant like Vickie is reprehensible, if not surprising. The problem is we’ve got some local bad actors who would rather go on a retribution and revenge tour than to move our city forward.”
Deegan told reporters to “connect the dots” after she was asked about Curry and Elsbury being involved.
After a reporter asked Cavey if she was pressured to extend the contract, Deegan urged Cavey to “tell the truth and shame the devil.”
“I would not call it a pressure campaign,” Cavey said.
Curry did not return a request for comment made through Ballard Partners.
“That’s Wizard of Oz stuff,” Elsbury said in a text message. “Doesn’t sound like the mayor and the CEO are on the same page.”
Allegations denied
Cavey denied the allegations of racism and poor morale.
“I’m a very inclusive leader,” Cavey said. “I have a strong belief in our field people. Those employees work 24/7, 365 days a year no matter what, and so do I, and it’s an honor to serve the city and to serve those people.”
DiSalvo said he had heard no concerns from JEA employees about Cavey’s leadership. He said that in a recent “soup to nuts” examination of JEA by an outside consultant, “there were no concerns of any morale issues.”
“I aggressively circulate throughout the city to talk to our fantastic JEA electric and water wastewater employees…and I get salt-of-the-earth feedback,” DiSalvo said. “None of the feedback has ever addressed a negative work environment.”
Cavey became the CEO of JEA in September 2024, promoted from an interim role after replacing CEO Jay Stowe.
Cavey, who joined JEA in 1984 as a mechanical engineer, rose to several administrative roles and came out of retirement in March 2024 when the board asked her to serve as a liaison between them and Stowe’s administration to review the utility’s organizational structure.
Her contract was extended in February 2025, with the JEA board unanimously giving her a 25% pay raise to $700,000 a year.
Board member John Baker III said that although the salary increase “jumps off the page,” he believed it was justified given Cavey’s performance and leadership ability.
“We have got a really great leader. And it’s incumbent on any business that has a great leader to compensate them fairly.”
Carrico accusations
In a statement, Carrico defended his accusations and called for the publication of all communication between the mayor’s office and JEA leadership from the past 60 days.
“Today’s frantic press conference made one thing clear: there is a growing crisis of confidence at JEA. The incoming Board Chair has called for the firing of CEO Vickie Cavey, the still-unexplained removal of well-respected Chief of Staff and former Fire Chief Kurt Wilson raises serious concerns, employee morale is low, and ratepayers are burdened with record-high costs – all pointing to instability at our public utility,” Carrico wrote.
“What is most troubling is Mayor Deegan’s direct involvement in what is supposed to be an independent authority. JEA was deliberately structured to operate free from political pressure, yet we are now seeing an unmistakable attempt to inject mayoral influence into decisions that belong to its independent leadership and board. When the independence of our public utility is compromised, every ratepayer should be alarmed – especially given the painful lessons from the attempted sale of JEA.”
Carrico received criticism in prior days after nominating Paul Martinez, his superior at Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, to the JEA board. Martinez is the president and CEO at Boys and Girls Clubs, Carrico works as vice president of strategic initiatives.
After Action News Jax reported that texts between JEA board member Arthur Adams and Carrico showed Carrico made Martinez’s nomination as a “big favor” to a friend, Martinez withdrew his name from consideration.
Curry’s history with JEA
Curry, Jacksonville’s mayor from 2015 to 2023, joined Ballard Partners a month after he left office after his second term.
He filed as a lobbyist with the city of Jacksonville in November 2025 after a state-mandated “cooling-off” period before former elected officials can lobby governments. At that time, Ballard Partners’ clients included JEA.
Curry’s connection to the JEA sale includes former CEO Aaron Zahn, who in July 2024 was convicted on federal charges alleging he orchestrated a scheme to sell the city-owned utility to collect millions of dollars in bonuses.
Curry appointed Zahn to the JEA board in 2018. Zahn was named interim CEO two months later after the resignation of Paul McElroy, then was named CEO long-term seven months after that.
The appointment and Zahn’s rapid rise raised questions given that Zahn had no experience leading a large municipal utility. He had previously served as an executive for a private wastewater treatment company.
In 2021, an investigative report from a City Council committee that looked into the attempt to sell JEA concluded that Curry and JEA officials worked together on a “multi-year” effort from 2017-19 to sell the utility and shielded some actions from the Florida Sunshine Law and the public.
The report said Zahn used “intentional misrepresentations and omissions” in characterizing JEA as a failing business.
Among Zahn’s claims as CEO, he told board members in 2019 the utility would have to lay off 29% of its workforce and raise electric rates by 26% if it remained publicly owned without city and state legislative changes to allow it to diversify its business.
Curry later said he would use proceeds from the sale of JEA to pay off the city’s $2.2 billion in outstanding bond debt with the remaining money invested for future city projects.
After Council auditors raised concerns in 2019 about the bonus plan attached to the proposed sale, Council members and State Attorney Melissa Nelson began looking into the issue. In December of that year, the JEA board voted to cancel the process to potentially put the utility up for sale.
In 2022, after Nelson turned over her investigation to federal authorities, Zahn and former JEA Chief Financial Officer Ryan Wannemacher were indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the bonus plan.
Zahn was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to four years in prison. Wannemacher was found not guilty.
Curry was not charged in connection with the JEA sale.