The JEA board of directors appointed Jody Brooks as interim CEO on Sept. 25, 2026. | JEA
Published on September 25, 2026 at 6:16 pm
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The JEA board unanimously selected Jody Brooks as the utility’s interim CEO and managing director Friday, as Vickie Cavey stepped down from the position.
Brooks had been serving in the interim role for several weeks. She said she is grateful for the board’s confidence and the opportunity to continue leading JEA.
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“It makes me feel good that the board has confidence in me and to have the ability to continue to lead this organization. So I’m very happy with that,” Brooks said.
Brooks said her focus in the coming months will include affordability as customers deal with rising prices.
“In the next few months, I’m going to be focusing on the affordability prong. We heard that customers are suffering. So having a lot of empathy I think will go a long way in this position, especially in the, you know, what we’re going through right now for rising prices on everything,” she said.
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A draft employment contract included in Friday’s board documents shows Brooks will receive an annual base salary of $500,000, an $850-per-month vehicle allowance, and a monthly $2,000 business allowance for telephone and other business expenses. Brooks will also get 280 hours of leave over the next year, the contract shows.
Friday was Cavey’s final day as JEA’s CEO and managing director. The board accepted her resignation, with all members voting in favor.
Cavey spent nearly four decades with JEA. She became interim CEO in 2024 before being appointed permanently. She did not give a definitive reason for her resignation earlier this month.
JEA CEO pressure
Since February, Cavey faced mounting pressure after then-Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico publicly alleged the CEO had created a toxic and racist work environment at the utility, based on anonymous allegations. Those claims, despite Carrico ordering a Special Investigatory Committee into JEA, were never proven out.
Cavey testified before the committee under oath, and employee surveys order by the committee and internally by the JEA board did not show evidence of systemic personnelle or morale issues.
Carrico himself has been under criminal investigation by the State Attorney’s Office possibly linked to his appointment of his now-former boss at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida the attempt by a Nassau County affiliate of the nonprofit to acquired land owned by JEA.
Cavey senior leadership team was also in the midst of trying to resolve millions of dollars in under collected capacity fees from JEA commercial customers dating back to the 1990s.
The leadership changes also come as an arbitrator ruled that JEA may owe former CEO Aaron Zahn damages and attorney’s fees. The ruling found that the board breached Zahn’s original employment agreement when it fired him nearly seven years ago.
Zahn was later convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy tied to his controversial effort to privatize JEA and sentenced to four years in federal prison. He was indicted by a grand jury and found guilty in 2024. He was recently released from prison.
JEA officials said the search for a permanent CEO is underway. Both internal and external candidates will be considered, and the utility has not set a timeline or deadline for making the appointment.
“We’re going to do a search for a search company, bring several selections back to the board, let them officially retain someone or a firm to go out and do an internal and external search for the best CEO we can find for the JEA,” JEA board Chair MG Orender said.
Brooks may apply for the permanent position. If she is selected but chooses not to accept the job, she can return to her previous position within JEA.
JEA officials said they will keep the public informed as the permanent CEO search moves forward.
This story was produced in part by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
