Vickie Cavey, CEO and managing director of JEA, speaks at a briefing Sept. 26, 2025, at the Duval County Emergency Operations Center. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 29, 2026 at 6:06 pm
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JEA CEO and Managing Director Vickie Cavey has begun an extended leave of absence, effective immediately.
The city-owned utility announced Cavey’s departure late Wednesday, saying her leave is expected to last more than two weeks but less than 60 days.
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A JEA spokesperson gave no reason for the leave, saying only that it was not performance-related. Employees learned of her departure at about 4 p.m., the spokesperson said.
Board Chairperson M.G. Orender designated Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks as interim CEO during Cavey’s absence, in line with the utility’s succession plan.
“I am grateful for the Board’s confidence and honored to serve JEA in this role,” Brooks said in a news release issued just before 5 p.m. “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.”
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Brooks will work closely with JEA’s executive leadership team to maintain continuity of operations, the news release stated.
Cavey’s leave follows criticism from former City Council President Kevin Carrico that the workplace under Cavey was toxic.
Carrico launched an investigation in March into claims of workplace issues after the State Attorney’s Office began to investigate him in regards to a recommended appointment on the JEA board.
Cavey testified in front of a special council committee in late June, but nothing in JEA’s announcement about her leave suggested it was related to Carrico’s criticism.
Carrico released a statement Wednesday saying, in part, “Today’s announcement raises more questions than it answers. Given the concerns that have been raised over the past year and the courageous JEA employees who came forward, the public deserves timely and transparent communication about the leadership of one of Jacksonville’s most important public institutions.”
Also after the JEA announcement, City Council member Rory Diamond demanded more information.
In a post on X, Diamond wrote “the public deserves more information and transparency.”
“If the CEO has a health problem, we don’t need to know what, but we need to know that,” Diamond said. “JEA is too important to Jax for this vague announcement.”
