JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An Action News Jax investigation exposes confusion and frustration among city attorneys over the lack of details about the notorious JEA bonus program than led to the firing of CEO Aaron Zahn.
The Performance Unit Plan, or PUP, would have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
RELATED STORY: Councilman: For months, JEA ignored auditors questioning PUP’s legality
In a June 4, 2019, email chain, JEA’s then Vice-President and Chief Legal Officer, Lynne Rhode, goes back and forth with the city’s Office of General Counsel.
That city lawyer writes in part, “I think there is some confusion because I literally have no information regarding how or what type of program JEA intends to implement. I have only spoken with you ...”
Rhode writes back in part, “I don’t think there are many specifics yet.”
But, just weeks later on July 23, JEA’s board voted to approve the finalized PUP.
Board members now say they were misled.
General Counsel believes this process was so egregiously flawed, it added a section into its investigation into Zahn, saying he is guilty of, “Causing or allowing the Board to incorrectly believe the Office of General Counsel had vetted and approved the PUP prior to and/or during the Board’s consideration of the plan at the July 23, 2019, board meeting.”
“I think the General Counsel’s office did their due diligence in justifying why they made their recommendation,” said City Councilman Tommy Hazouri.
As Action News Jax told you, Rhode resigned days after Zahn was fired.
Now, City Councilman Rory Diamond is leading the council committee to investigate Zahn and the failed process to sell JEA.
“We’re going to have private investigators go in and get the servers and the computers so we can look at them ourselves,” Diamond said.
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