If you have ever had your home appraised, you know how exciting it is to hear it’s worth more than you imagined.  And the next question in your mind would be — “Is this a good time to sell?”  It’s a game homeowners play with their equity.  Should I sell or wait for the market to improve?  What if the market crashes?

So you can imagine how the Mayor’s office and those who are chomping at the bit to sell JEA are feeling today.  They received a new report from University of Florida researchers showing JEA is worth between $6.3 billion to $7.5 billion.  It’s even more than they expected and the dollars signs are heavy in their eyes.  Just imagine what they could do with all that money.  The ideas are endless and those who need money for special projects are wringing their hands in hopes of getting some of that equity.

In all fairness, Mayor Curry did pull back the idea of selling JEA after the debate became public and contentious.  Since that pull back, the council changed the city’s charter and now the voters must sign off on any attempt to sell the utility.  That’s all good news for the rate payers since the utility does belong to us and is Jacksonville’s largest asset.

Eye on Jacksonville will be keeping our eyes open on talks about selling JEA.  We do not have a position on this BUT we do have a position that transparency and integrity must be center to that decision.  We also abhor any entertainment of cronyism in deal making with our assets.

That’s why Eye was formed and that’s why we do what we do.  We love our city and we want all decisions made for the whole – not just a few.

We send a BIG Thank You and a well-deserved Wink Eye to Jessie Ball duPont Fund for paying for the JEA “appraisal.”  Knowledge is power and your gift to the city is very much appreciated.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://eyeonjacksonville.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Billie-Tucker-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Billie Tucker has worked in the CEO world for more than 30 years and was the Chief Operating Officer of Vistage Florida, a think tank for CEOs. She started her own consulting practice, CEO Service Bureau, in 2001 and earned a reputation for her keen understanding of the motivations, challenges and goals of people. She became a life-long student and teacher of leadership principles. She is a published author, speaker, facilitator and has been an Executive Coach to many successful CEOs, including Governor Rick Scott of Florida, soon to be Senator Scott.[/author_info] [/author]