JEA CEO Vickie Cavey takes leave of absence

Jacksonville’s public utility will see at least a temporary change atop the org chart.

CEO Vickie Cavey will be on a leave of absence that could last as few as 14 days but as many as 60.

Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks will serve as interim CEO of JEA in the meantime.

“I am grateful for the Board’s confidence and honored to serve JEA in this role,” said Brooks. “Our focus remains unchanged: supporting our employees, serving our customers and continuing to provide the safe and reliable utility services our community depends on every day.”

Her leave of absence is not related to performance, a spokesperson told Florida Politics.

JEA Board Chair M.G. Orender wrote the board, saying he is “fully confident” that the JEA Leadership team will continue to deliver as expected.

Cavey, who has worked for the utility for 34 years in some capacity, returned to JEA after a retirement in 2024. She became interim managing director upon the departure of Jay Stowe, then became CEO in September of that year.

Though she was presented as a stabilizing force, the utility has experienced turbulence.

The Jacksonville City Council, the 4th Circuit State Attorney, and the Attorney General’s Office have been investigating issues related to JEA.

The City Council probe was focused in part on an allegedly toxic workplace culture under Cavey, as well as uncollected capacity fees from commercial customers. Brooks told the Council investigative committee he hadn’t witnessed anything along those lines.

Attorney General James Uthmeier and State Attorney Melissa Nelson have been looking into the termination of the utility’s lobbying contract with Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that includes former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and his erstwhile Chief of Staff, Jordan Elsbury.

Still, Cavey has had one key ally.

Mayor Donna Deegan has advocated for Cavey as an “honest and trustworthy public servant,” and has said attacks on her and JEA undermine the city’s consolidated government and are driven by forces that want to push to privatize the utility.

Controversies have come from outside the building also.

Former Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico, a Republican, caused controversy this year when he told a sitting board member that he needed to leave his position, so he could put his boss at the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida, Paul Martinez, in his place. Ultimately, Martinez withdrew from consideration.