City Council could consider amendments to JEA charter

Business

Jacksonville City Council could alter JEA’s charter in the coming months, as a special investigatory committee nears the end of its inquiry.

On May 19, Council Secretary Jason Teal, the city’s former general counsel who gives Council legal advice, gave members of the Finance Committee options for changing the JEA charter.

Those changes, Teal said, would not be subject to a ballot referendum and could be enacted by Council.

Teal proposed three measures, which did not prompt questioning from committee members. Those changes were:

Council could compel JEA’s board to investigate accusations against its leadership, including the CEO, instead of allowing JEA’s board to use its discretion in deciding whether to investigate.
Council could have some form of oversight for large capital projects undertaken by JEA, including requiring that Council approve projects above a certain dollar amount.
Council could codify how JEA receives and reviews capacity fees. Capacity fees and associated charges are one-time fees assessed to JEA customers when they connect to the utility’s water, wastewater and reclamation system.

Each of the three options mentioned by Teal are the subject of a Council investigation into JEA.

In February, Council President Kevin Carrico made allegations in The Florida Times-Union that JEA CEO Vickie Cavey had fostered a racist, toxic workplace culture at JEA. Cavey has denied the allegations.

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.

The committee also is seeking more information regarding the JEA board’s approval of a $1.57 billion natural gas-fired power plant at the former St. Johns River Power Park north of Blount Island Marine Terminal.

According to Daily Record news partner News4Jax, JEA attorneys said in October 2025 that Mayo Clinic in Florida owes more than $12 million in additional capacity fees because its water and sewer usage increased dramatically over time.

Jody Brooks, JEA’s chief administrative officer, told board members in April that the authority did not have “a very good history of the documentation” as to what some JEA customers might owe the utility for uncollected capacity fees.

Council member Ron Salem, the committee chair, said he expects testimony from JEA executives to conclude June 22, with work regarding capacity fees stretching into July.

Changes to the charter likely would come up for discussion after the investigatory committee finishes its work.

Salem said any potential charter changes would depend on the results of the special committee’s investigation.

Some Council members have said they felt the investigatory committee overstepped its bounds.

Michael Boylan, a former Council liaison to JEA, has spoken at numerous investigatory committee meetings and said any amendments to the charter should not focus on specific issues that arose during investigation but rather follow a similar process to the one used to change the charter in 2020.