I read the latest report on JEA and had that familiar feeling— not shock… just disappointment.
Because it appears we’ve been here before.
New emails. New names. Same kind of story—conversations happening behind the scenes, relationships that raise eyebrows, and decisions that don’t quite feel like they were made in the sunshine – which is the way decisions should be made at JEA.
Read the story here: JEA emails reveal secret deal, lobbyist ties, insider influence by former leaders
JEA belongs to the people of Jacksonville. It runs on our trust. And every time something like this surfaces, that trust takes another hit. It’s not about mistrust with the workers at JEA, it’s the mistrust of those who game the system and use it for their personal and political step ladder to success.
I’ve seen the inside of how governance at JEA is supposed to work. The guardrails are there—but it appears no one uses them. Which makes moments like this even harder to swallow because you know — they know — they are doing the wrong thing!
And the real question isn’t just what happened here.
It’s this:
If there is more corruption at JEA…will this time be different?
Will there be real accountability?
Or will we once again watch the story narrow down to one fall guy while everyone else quietly moves on and then waits for the next open door for another secret deal?
Jacksonville deserves better than déjà vu.
At some point, this has to stop.
