JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The resignation of JEA CEO Jay Stowe was accepted Monday by the board, marking the official end of his tenure as the head of the city-owned utility after four years at the helm.
On Monday afternoon, the JEA Board held an emergency meeting to discuss Stowe’s future after speculation swirled last week that he planned to step down.
JEA Board Chairman Joseph DiSalvo said the decision, which was unexpected, was mutual between Stowe and the board and had nothing to do with misconduct or any ethical transgressions.
“From my perspective as a board member, talking to Jay over the past month and a half, two months, it sort of became apparent and we had a very candid conversation not agreeing on the way ahead,” DiSalvo told News4JAX.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Jay for leading JEA out from the 2020 scandal and restoring focus and credibility to JEA,” DiSalvo said during the meeting.
Stowe’s resignation as CEO was official on Monday, but he will stay on until Aug. 15 as a consultant.
“Thank you to the employees. JEA is, I think, set to be able to be the best that it can be,” Stowe said in his closing comments after his resignation was accepted by the board. “I think that there were nods from the board when someone said that they hope that this doesn’t mean that JEA is for sale. I don’t think there’s anything happening here that would make that be the case at all.”
“By far the most important achievement in my tenure here was rebuilding the trust between the leadership, the workforce, and the trust of JEA within the community,” he added.
In his closing comments, he thanked his wife and colleagues but did not explain the reason for his resignation.
MORE: ‘Morning, Y’all’: JEA CEO sends short, cryptic email to staff amid resignation speculation
Amid speculation, Stowe sent a short and cryptic email to the entire staff on Friday.
It reads:
“Morning, Y’all..
Thank you.
Jay”
Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond all but confirmed Stowe’s departure in a social media post and in an interview with News4JAX last week.
“Appreciate Jay Stowe’s service to @NewsfromJEA, he settled the waters at a very difficult time. For our new CEO, we need someone who is highly competent, but also understands to their core that JEA must be a positive force for our community,” Diamond wrote. “Likewise, no more key employees living and working out of state. It’s not right.”
Diamond was referencing one of the blemishes on Stowe’s tenue that may have contributed to his impending resignation.
Stowe had been under public and professional pressure recently after News4JAX revealed that some of the people who made important decisions about the operations of JEA, a city-owned utility company, didn’t live in Jacksonville. Laura Dutton, who lives and worked remotely in Tennessee, was released from her position as JEA Chief Strategy Officer shortly after she got a $73,000 raise and reports of her living situation emerged.
Dutton was one of the four people in charge who News4JAX learned didn’t live in Jacksonville, even though the company recently opened a new $100 million corporate headquarters downtown.
There was also public backlash after reports that JEA hosted a $72,000 holiday party with an open bar, catered food and magicians.
Stowe got the job in 2020 following the scandal surrounding the attempted sale of the utility. Last month, former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn was found guilty by a federal jury of attempting to defraud the city-owned utility.
“As I close this chapter, if I could leave anything lasting for any of you it is to do everything you can to leave things better than you found them. Try your very best never to settle for less than what is right and to work like crazy to make sure reality matches the phrases the too often get left off when we refer to our values, putting the physical and emotional well-being of people first. Bringing out the best in everyone and having the standards so high that you are worthy of the trust people place in you,” Stowe said.
After he was done, Stowe walked quietly out of the room and the board proceeded to talk about what comes next.
The board decided that Vickie Cavey, who had been working as a special assistant to Stowe, will serve as the interim CEO.
Cavey is a longtime JEA executive who spearheaded the utility’s strategic planning and development from 2013 until she retired in 2017.
“We really have to look at it,” Vacey told News4JAX. “We’ve already started gathering benchmarking with other utilities, with other independent agencies, with City of Jacksonville. It’s very difficult to have all employees remote, or not at least hybrid, especially in your headquarters. So we’re going to look at that.”
A timeline is not clear at this point for a long-term replacement.
Mayor Donna Deegan issued a statement following Stowe’s resignation:
“I’m grateful for Jay Stowe’s service to Jacksonville and wish him the best in his next chapter. He brought steady leadership and strategic thinking when JEA needed it most. I look forward to working with interim CEO Vickie Cavey to continue that progress and JEA’s strong relationship with the City of Jacksonville.”