A source said JEA leaders met at a coffee shop in Avondale to discuss the CEO’s resignation. It led to an investigation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The board of the Jacksonville city corporation JEA is in the spotlight amid allegations that members improperly handled certain matters behind closed doors.

The city’s inspector general released a report Wednesday looking into allegations of violations of the Sunshine Law, a state law that requires elected officials to address certain matters during public meetings.

The case is now in the hands of the Public Prosecution Service.

A recent investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that some JEA leaders communicated with each other outside publicly known meetings during the transition to a new CEO, a potential legal breach now in the hands of the agency for review. Public Prosecution Service. .

The OIG received a tip from an anonymous source suggesting that JEA board members were communicating about leadership transitions outside of public forums.

This comes just months after former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to steal city funds.

According to the OIG, retiring board member Robert Stein reportedly met privately with two JEA leaders at Southern Grounds & Company, a coffee shop in Avondale. During this meeting, investigators said Stein directed them to inform other board members about the resignation of CEO Jay Stowearranges Stowe’s severance package and drafts a three-year contract for Vickie Cavey, who takes over as interim CEO and is later named leader of JEA.

The anonymous informant claims Stein had several private conversations with other board members about the leadership transition before and after Stowe’s resignation.

Florida’s Sunshine Law states that all meetings involving government agency board members must be open to the public with reasonable notice. However, the OIG report shows that four JEA board members admitted to discussing these matters outside of public meetings, either by telephone or in person.

Former federal prosecutor Curtis Fallgatter discussed the OIG report and shared his perspective, emphasizing that the Sunshine Law is intended to ensure accountability in government agencies.

“The concern here is that there were preliminary discussions about major decisions. While this may cause problems, I am not sure if there will be a criminal offence,” he said.

JEA responded to the OIG’s findings and emphasized its commitment to compliance with the Sunshine Law. In a statement, the utility noted that the OIG found no violations of the Sunshine Law or criminal misconduct by JEA.

“JEA and its board recognize the importance of the Sunshine Law and their obligations to comply with it. The OIG report did not find that JEA violated the Sunshine Law, and nothing in the report suggests that criminal conduct occurred. The Board continues to recognize and comply with the provisions of the Sunshine Act and ethics mandates. We thank our board for its continued service to JEA, our customers and the community,” a JEA spokesperson wrote in a statement to News4JAX.