JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – JEA officials unanimously approved a three-year contract extension Tuesday for CEO Vickie Cavey that will raise her salary to $700,000 annually.
Last week, the JEA Compensation Committee voted to recommend the extension for Cavey, and the full Board of Directors approved the contract during their Tuesday meeting.
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Several residents spoke up during the board’s meeting to express their disapproval of Cavey’s salary increase.
“I’m not happy about the pay raise. I don’t know your background but I just feel like that’s an awful big pay raise to get for not even being in the job yet and showing us. I feel like if you come into a job and you can show that you can save money, make things more efficient, make it so that I don’t have to have JEA outside of my house for four months just trying to change my water line, then maybe you might deserve a pay raise. But that’s not what’s happening here at JEA,” Teresa Parlato said during public comment.
But JEA Board Chair Joseph DiSalvo said the contract would not have an impact on customers.
“This contract does not impact customer rates in any fashion whatsoever,” DiSalvo said.
Press play above to watch the public comment
Cavey, who took over as CEO in May 2024, initially earned $560,000, while her predecessor, Jay Stowe, earned $669,500.
A market analysis suggested raising Cavey’s salary to $807,000, as JEA ranks high in workforce size and capacity but low in CEO pay compared to similar utilities.
“Over the last 10 months, Vickie has led JEA with a dedication to fiscal stewardship, reestablishing trust with the board and a commitment to the community we serve,” DiSalvo said in a statement last week.
Cavey’s terms of contract include:
- 3-year term
- Two mutually agreed upon 1-year terms
- A base salary of $700K
- 3% increase in base salary annually
- Annual leave of 120 hours front-loaded
- Annual accrual rate of 280 hours
Cavey’s contract comes at the same time JEA is considering making record payments to the City of Jacksonville as part of a different proposal that includes some multi-million dollar increases.
MORE | JEA could pay millions more to the City of Jacksonville amid proposed rate hikes
At the same time, JEA is also proposing a rate increase for its customers, raising the question of whether the extra money the utility is paying the city is contributing to the rate hikes.
“We can’t afford to do this anymore. I know I can’t. I got a $12 increase in my Social Security this year and y’all are sucking it all up. And that doesn’t even include the $10 that you’re charging me for picking up my trash this year so now I’m like $8 in the hole. That’s not fair to us,” Parlato said, a resident who spoke during public comment.
Kelly Frazier, President of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, also shared her thoughts on the pay raise with the board. She referenced the efforts of her late father, Ben Frazier, who advocated for low-income residents.
“The proposed pay increase for the CEO to a staggering $700,000 is a slap in the face to every resident in Jacksonville who are struggling to pay their bills. If the CEO’s salary is below market rate, that’s fine with us. The CEO can join the rest of us who are not paid what they’re worth,” Frazier said. “Increasing the CEO’s pay to this level shows you’re out of touch with the realities faced by everyday people.