The Florida Times-Union by Nate Monroe
November 22, 2019
Email correspondence between the Jacksonville ethics director and JEA officials contradict key talking points utility officials spread last week over conflict-of-interest concerns.
COMMENTARY | Correspondence between Jacksonville’s ethics director and JEA attorneys contradict key talking points utility officials made last week in the wake of revelations that JEA’s negotiations with private buyers have been paused until conflict-of-interest questions are resolved.
Two members of the negotiating team are JEA executives, who are eligible for special post-employment contracts that entitle them to months of pay equivalent to their six-figure salaries — an arrangement the ethics director said could be problematic because they could financially benefit from a privatization deal in a way not available to non-executive employees.
After the ethics director, Carla Miller, released a report last week detailing those concerns and indicating the negotiations would be on hold until a definitive answer could be sought from the state Ethics Commission, however, JEA disputed Miller’s account.
