DIA board member does not want to be replaced by Mayor Curry's business partner

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry wants to appoint his former business partner to a prominent city board, but Downtown Investment Authority board of directors Vice Chairman Jack Meeks tells Action News Jax he does not want to be replaced.

Meeks said he questions whether the board can remain nonpartisan if the mayor’s appointee, Todd Froats, gets confirmed by the City Council.

On Thursday, Meeks sent a letter to council members saying he wants to serve a second term.

Mayor Curry’s appointment of Froats to the DIA board has been in the works for at least a month, according to city emails Action News Jax got through a public records request.

Froats’ name has been mentioned in an email to or from a city employee at least 140 times this year.

Curry and Froats created professional services company ICX Group together in 2002.

Curry left when he became mayor.

Action News Jax asked Curry what his current financial ties to ICX Group and Froats are.

“I’m not going to get into the specifics, you guys can – I no longer run ICX, nor do I have any significant interest in the business, nor do I know what they do on a day-to-day basis,” Curry said. “Sometimes you folks in the media want to talk about, is this right? How was this legislation crafted? Our city government is one in which you take legislation, you present it to City Council – same with board appointments – and it’s vetted in a public square.”

Meeks said he questions whether Froats will be a rubber stamp for the mayor.

“I think he wants to appoint someone who he’s comfortable with, and who’s his friend, and is more apt to look at things his way,” Meeks said.

Action News Jax asked Meeks if he looks at things Mayor Curry’s way.

“Well, I’m going to look at them in what I think is the appropriate way, that maybe in the course of what he wants, it may not be,” Meeks said.

City Councilman Garrett Dennis, a frequent critic of Mayor Curry, said he disagrees with the appointment.

“Which is inappropriate, which is just out of bounds. And there’s a vacancy for the CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority,” Dennis said.

City emails show Dennis’ assistant turned down Froats’ offer to meet one-on-one.

Action News Jax asked Dennis why he did not have any questions for Froats.

“Yeah, so, meeting with him will not change my position,” Dennis said.

Froats said he did not have time for an interview, but sent Action News Jax reporter Jenna Bourne a text message saying, “Just want to point out that Mayor Curry does not own any part of ICX Group (the firm that we started in 2002) and I have no interest in becoming the next CEO of the DIA.”

Froats would not send Action News Jax a photo of himself to use in this story.

The mayor’s proposed budget for the Downtown Investment Authority shows he wants to increase it by 32 percent; that’s about $409,000.

Mayor Curry’s chief of staff, Brian Hughes, emailed the following statement:

“The mayor’s administration is grateful to all those who volunteer to serve the city through appointments to boards, commissions and advisory councils. In some cases, there are more people interested in appointments than actual appointments to be made. Mayor Curry exercises his appointment authority, as codified in the City Charter, to ensure well-qualified people are in position to serve. Those he appoints are those who also share his vision for making Jacksonville a place where we are growing jobs, creating opportunities for future generations, and protecting a high quality of life for taxpayers. The appointment of Todd Froats to the DIA meets these goals.”

Cox Media Group