JEA board elevates Arthur Adams to vice chair after City Council replacement effort stalls
A leadership move amid political and workplace turbulence
The governing board of Jacksonville’s city-owned utility, JEA, selected board member Arthur L. Adams Jr. as vice chair in a move that comes as City Hall and the utility face overlapping controversies involving board appointments, workplace-culture allegations and questions about governance.
Adams’ elevation is notable because Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico had recently sought to replace him when his term ends February 28, 2026. Carrico introduced legislation on February 10 to appoint Paul Martinez, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, to the JEA board seat held by Adams. Martinez withdrew from consideration within days, leaving the board seat unchanged heading into the end of Adams’ term.
How JEA board appointments work
JEA is governed by a seven-member board. Four members are nominated by the City Council president and confirmed by the City Council, while three are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Board leadership positions such as chair and vice chair are selected by the board itself.
Current board membership includes John Baker (mayoral appointee), Joseph DiSalvo (mayoral appointee), Kawanza Humphrey (mayoral appointee), Ricardo “Rick” Morales III (City Council president nominee), MG Orender (City Council president nominee), Donald “Worth” McArthur (City Council president nominee) and Adams (City Council president nominee).
The text-message dispute and the withdrawn replacement nominee
The attempted replacement of Adams intensified after the emergence of text messages between Carrico and Adams. In those messages, Carrico indicated he intended to give the seat to someone he owed a “big favor” to. Adams indicated he had hoped to remain for a full term. After the messages became public, the proposed replacement nominee withdrew, and the seat remained with Adams pending the end of his current term.
Board conflict over CEO leadership allegations
The vice chair selection unfolded as the board dealt with internal conflict over claims of a “toxic” workplace environment at the utility. At a February 24 board meeting, directors voted 6-1 to express confidence in JEA CEO Vickie Cavey. During that meeting, then-vice chair Morales confirmed he had asked Cavey privately to resign and urged an independent external review of leadership and employee morale. Several board members objected to the approach and questioned why concerns were not routed through established channels, including human resources.
The board’s actions left two parallel tracks in view: continued scrutiny over how JEA is governed and how leadership disputes are handled, while also highlighting the board’s authority to set its own leadership structure even as City Council debates board composition.
Key dates in the recent sequence
- Feb. 5, 2026: Text-message exchange between Carrico and Adams becomes central to the board-seat controversy.
- Feb. 10, 2026: Legislation introduced to appoint Paul Martinez to replace Adams.
- Feb. 18, 2026: Martinez withdraws from consideration.
- Feb. 24, 2026: JEA board votes 6-1 to express confidence in CEO Vickie Cavey amid workplace-culture allegations.
With Adams becoming vice chair despite an active effort to remove him, attention is likely to remain focused on the board appointment process, the handling of internal complaints and the governance choices that shape one of Jacksonville’s most consequential public institutions.