JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council’s special investigative committee examining JEA heard testimony Monday afternoon from Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks and Regina Ross, the utility’s former legal counsel.
The committee met twice on Monday -- at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- as it continued to follow a mandate from Council President Kevin Carrico to investigate claims of a toxic workplace culture and racism at JEA and questions about water/sewer capacity fees.
Brooks faced tough questions at City Hall on Monday as a Jacksonville City Council special investigative committee examined how the public utility is being run.
Brooks testified about unpaid capacity fees that could total tens of millions of dollars, as well as allegations of a toxic workplace environment at JEA. Capacity fees are one-time charges billed to new customers based on projected water and electric usage; some accounts may not have been adjusted after businesses expanded beyond initial projections.
Brooks told council members she learned about the unpaid fees after a council member posted about the issue on social media. She said she did not bring the matter to the JEA board and described the situation as an administrative oversight that dates back decades, blaming limitations in JEA’s billing technology for failing to capture some additional charges.
The issue surfaced during a dispute between the Mayo Clinic and JEA and is now under review by city auditors, Brooks said.
Brooks also answered questions about claims that JEA CEO Vickie Cavey fostered a toxic work environment. Council member Ron Salem asked Brooks whether she had witnessed behavior such as yelling or fist-pounding. Brooks said she had not, though she said she had seen Cavey cry after an employee was injured.
JEA’s former chief legal advisor, Reginia Ross, also testified about the capacity-fee issue and how the Mayo Clinic dispute was initially handled. Ross said senior leadership was brought into the matter early and said JEA is reviewing about 250 commercial customers to determine how widespread the problem is and how it can be resolved.
In a meeting last month, committee members questioned whether an employee survey JEA is conducting with its more than 2,000 employees would provide enough detail to address the toxic workplace allegations.
Instead, the committee voted to adopt its own employee survey for JEA that will more directly assess concerns about workplace culture and allegations involving senior leadership.
The committee’s survey will be reviewed by the city’s attorneys.
The committee is scheduled to meet again on June 22. Cavey, who has been subpoenaed, is expected to testify.