Amid allegations of racism and poor leadership against JEA CEO Vickie Cavey, the board of the city-owned utility gave her a vote of confidence Feb. 24 and rejected one board member’s call for an external investigation into Cavey’s administration.
The voice vote by the seven-member board, in which Vice Chair Rick Morales III was the only dissenter, came after a meeting in which Morales made the failed request for an investigation.
Morales said Cavey’s “toxic behavior” was affecting dozens of employees and Jacksonville City Council liaison Ron Salem warned that Council could launch its own investigation if the board failed to look into the allegations.
Morales also said he asked Cavey to resign and that she initially agreed to do so, then changed course and cut off communications with him.
Cavey defended herself, and board members and others expressing support for her while criticizing Morales for not following board protocols in expressing concerns about the CEO.
Allegations against Cavey emerged in the media several days before the board meeting, when former JEA Chief of Staff Kurt Wilson told The Florida Times-Union that Cavey’s treatment of select staff was not appropriate.
Wilson, who said his position was terminated after he brought concerns about Cavey to board Chair Joseph DiSalvo, reiterated his claims in front of the board and the more than 80 people who attended the meeting.
“Vickie’s style with those at HQ has been anything but positive. Dozens of my remaining colleagues work in fear of retribution and hostility, and after (what) every one of JEA’s employees have been through, I could not remain silent while another CEO’s toxic behavior destroys the utility and careers of so many hard-working employees,” Wilson told the board.
Wilson said Cavey presented two contrasting leadership styles, treating rank-and-file employees courteously and respectfully while behaving unfairly and unprofessionally to upper-level staff.
Allegations also came from City Council President Kevin Carrico, who wrote in a statement that he heard allegations of “racism, toxic corporate culture, and other leadership challenges” against Cavey following multiple calls with JEA staff members.
In Wilson’s criticism of Cavey, he referenced her taking part in a Feb. 20 news conference with Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and DiSalvo denying allegations from Wilson and Carrico.
“Unfortunately, it seems that Vickie is more interested in levying a smear campaign against me and packing a room full of supporters for her,” Wilson said. “I want to apologize to those employees our current board chair labeled as bogus during last Friday’s press conference. I assure you they are not.
“I strongly encourage a review by (the city Office of General Counsel), city ethics or (the Office of the Inspector General) into the allegations against the CEO, as any third party hired by this board or the (chief human resources officer) will not be trusted. I remain ready and willing to sit down with any investigator to detail my concerns and those of my colleagues,” Wilson said.
Cavey told the board that if the allegations were true, complaints would have emerged earlier in her more than 40 years with JEA and “would not suddenly appear overnight in a political news cycle.”
“My leadership style is rigorous, and it is fair, consistent and grounded in respect. I hold senior leaders to high standards, because JEA’s mission is critical,” she said.
Chris Richardson, a JEA employee, praised Cavey’s leadership after she took over from former CEO Jay Stowe, who was pressured out in 2024. Cavey had retired but came back at the request of some board members, first as a consultant and then as interim CEO before being named to the long-term position.
“Vickie steadied this boat. It made it comfortable to work. She’s very involved. She shows up,” Richardson said. “She could have stayed out of the limelight, and she decided to come back and help us out. She understands what it takes to run JEA.”
Salem, the Council’s liaison to JEA, expressed his concerns about the allegations against Cavey, Wilson’s termination and the removal of board leadership elections from the Feb. 24 agenda.
“I believe in the model of a board of directors being responsible for the supervision of our valuable authorities, including JEA,” Salem said. “However, if the board does not act, the City Council will step in again and investigate.”
Board debates actions by Morales
Morales told board members that because he was in line to become the board’s chair, he held meetings with JEA senior staff over the past six weeks. In those conversations, Morales said, he heard “consistent and deeply concerning” feedback from staff regarding Cavey.
“Multiple senior leaders independently described a toxic work environment by micromanagement, declining morale and some individuals considering resignation. I found this to be unacceptable and harmful to the organization,” Morales said.
Morales said he approached Cavey on Feb. 16 and asked her to resign, at which point Cavey said she would. In the following hours, Cavey texted Morales and said she was reconsidering resignation and evaluating her pension, Morales said, before texting again and telling Morales not to contact city General Counsel Michael Fackler.
Two days later, Morales said, Cavey called him, saying she would not resign and that she had eliminated Wilson’s chief of staff position.
Morales’ actions brought criticism from other board members, who said he had not followed proper procedures regarding Cavey’s employment.
“If none of the allegations that have surfaced in the last seven days have surfaced in HR channels, ethics hotline, committee meetings or dialog with City Council and administration or any external processes, you have to ask, is this a legitimate issue or not?” DiSalvo said. “I do not see this as anything close to a legitimate issue. And if there is concern, use the processes in place. We are not going to react to hearsay.”
“We have a responsibility to this organization, that if there are matters of this magnitude, that we have to talk about it collectively,” member Arthur Adams said. “My concern is that as a colleague, you took agency upon yourself, and I don’t think, given the structure of this board, that was appropriate.”
Board member MG Orender said he heard one concern regarding Cavey from a JEA employee in December. Orender said he instructed that employee to contact JEA’s human resources department.
Talk of an investigation
Morales moved to conduct an external review of Cavey, which did not receive a second and was not voted on.
After discussion of Morales’ actions, DiSalvo moved for a vote of confidence in Cavey. That motion passed with Morales providing the only verbal dissent. It was unclear immediately after the vote if member John Baker had voted in favor or against.
The board comprises Adams, Baker, DiSalvo, Morales, Orender, Donald “Worth” McArthur and Kawanza Suarez.
Salem attempted to speak twice during board discussion, but was not permitted. Salem told reporters after the board meeting that he would have told board members he supported an investigation into JEA by Council.
Salem compared that proposed investigation to one in 2021, in which a Council committee investigated a proposed sale of JEA to private buyers. That investigation helped lead to former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn’s federal conviction on conspiracy and wire fraud charges stemming from what prosecutors described as an illegal scheme to obtain millions of dollars in bonuses related to the sale of the utility.
“My concern is the taxpayers and the employees of JEA, and I think there is a potential serious issue here that the board doesn’t want to act upon,” Salem said. “I think the City Council may act because of that, which is what I was trying to avoid.”
Carrico wrote in a statement after the meeting that he was “deeply troubled by the board’s decision to reject an independent review of the CEO’s performance, especially in light of the serious concerns raised by employees, the former Chief of Staff, and the incoming Board Chair.”
“It is ultimately the responsibility of the JEA Board to confront these concerns directly and restore public trust through decisive, transparent leadership,” his statement read. “However, the City Council stands ready to exercise its oversight authority if it becomes clear that accountability is not being met.”
Mayor makes allegations against Ballard Partners
On Feb. 20, Deegan said the allegations were part of a “smear campaign” against Cavey, after the CEO declined to extend the contract of a Jacksonville lobbying firm. That firm, Ballard Partners, employs former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and his former chief of staff, Jordan Elsbury.
In January, JEA opted not to exercise an option to extend the one-year contract.
“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,” Deegan said Feb. 20. “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 during the news conference.
Curry and Elsbury both denied the allegations.
“The mayor called a press conference and made a bunch of accusations. She lied about me, she’s lied about our firm, she’s lied about our Managing Partner Jordan (Elsbury) the last few years, and that doesn’t matter,” Curry said Feb. 23 on WJCT News talk show “First Coast Connect.” “But the CEO of JEA basically called her out on her lies in a public press conference and said, ‘With all due respect, mayor, that didn’t happen.’”
At the board meeting, Cavey expanded on her comments regarding the Ballard Partners contract.
“I want to be very clear about the things that have been said about the renewal or nonrenewal of a lobbying contract. We ultimately made the decision based on what is best for JEA and our employees and most importantly, our customers,” Cavey said.
“There were some who disagreed with that decision and some who tried to change it, but ultimately, we stuck with what was right and did not bow to pressure or political considerations.”
Morales told board members that his concerns surrounding Cavey had nothing to do with the Ballard Partners contract.
“I can assure you that those employees that I spoke to do not know anything about the lobbying contract or anything like that,” Morales said. “It has nothing to do with distractions of appointments or anything like that. All that just happened to be noise at the same time.”
Before the allegations against Cavey emerged, Carrico received criticism for 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 Adams and Carrico showed Carrico made Martinez’s nomination as a “big favor” to a friend, Martinez withdrew his name from consideration.
On “First Coast Connect,” Curry said he had no conversations with Carrico about the Martinez nomination to the board and that he had not spoken to Carrico in around a month.
Cavey’s tenure with JEA
Cavey became the CEO of JEA in September 2024, promoted from an interim role after replacing 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.
Baker 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.”
No decision to terminate
Both Morales and Salem raised concerns about Wilson’s termination from JEA, saying it discouraged other employees from speaking about potential misconduct.
“What employee would come forward now after what happened to Kurt Wilson? Tell me who would come forward when your position is eliminated and you’re terminated within 24 hours,” Salem said. “We need an external process.”
Diane Moser, JEA’s chief human resource officer, told reporters that city employees are protected from political actions and can only be dismissed for cause. Moser said she had heard no complaints of Cavey’s leadership style.
Moser also told reporters that “There was no decision to terminate Kurt Wilson” from JEA. When asked by a reporter why Wilson was no longer employed by JEA if there was no decision to terminate him, Moser declined to comment.
Wilson began his role as chief of staff, a new position at JEA, in May 2024. He previously worked as the vice president of government and community relations for four years.
Before his work with JEA, Wilson served in the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for 25 years, retiring as chief.