JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a Monday evening meeting at City Hall, the City of Jacksonville’s investigatory committee into JEA matters, took some additional steps in getting answers in its probe into the public utility’s quest to privatize.
About a month after the committee requested 84 documents from JEA, investigatory committee chair, Rory Diamond, says they’re tired of waiting.
“This is a message for JEA and their executives. If I were trying to design a way to drag this out, it is exactly what they’ve done,” said Diamond.
According to the Office of General Counsel’s (OGC) comments on Monday, the size of the data request, pending redactions and organizing the data, were some of the reasons for the hold up from JEA.
The committee says it’s taking additional steps to speed things up.
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#BREAKING: JEA Committee Chair Rory Diamond formally requests deposition of interim JEA CEO Melissa Dykes, asks OGC to prepare subpoenas for investment banks and bidders involved in ITN process. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews https://t.co/6foQgR2EMf
— Ryan Nelson (@RyanANJax) March 9, 2020
Tonight, Diamond called for interim CEO Melissa Dykes to testify under oath in a deposition.
“Within about a week, that we can get a deposition of Melissa Dykes done under oath,” said Diamond. “… I think one of the most important questions will be where are the documents, and why haven’t they been produced yet?”
Diamond also called for investment banks JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, to be subpoenaed. He went on to direct the OGC to subpoena bidders in the ITN process as well.
“I want to know who their lobbyists were,” said Diamond. “I want to know who they were paying to make us agree with them that JEA was in bad trouble.”
The city’s rules committee would need to approve the subpoena requests next week.
Current and former JEA executives testified before the city’s investigatory committee on Monday night as well.
The committee heard from former VP and General Manager of Energy, Mike Brost, and VP of Energy and Water Planning, Steven McInall.
Brost testified saying JEA leadership was dishonest in their portrayal of the agency’s overall well-being to garner support for a sale of the public utility.
“I was shocked by the false narrative that was told in June and July about JEA’s future, as a public power entity, and how everything is solved if we just go, if we just go to [Investor Owner Utility], privatize,” said Brost.
Brost claims JEA leaders’ portrayal of rising rates, decreasing demand and job losses were inaccurate.
McInall said the agency is facing challenges with demand.
“An eight percent overall decline, which includes FPU, Florida Public Utilities, the loss of that contract,” said McInall. “And even without including that part, sales dropped four percent.”
Diamond tells us the documents delivered to the committee in tonight’s meeting had already been made public previously. He says it could be another month before the committee finally receives the 84 documents they requested in February.
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