JACKSONVILLE, Fla — JEA is ending its 6-week disconnection grace period on September 18th. The utility company says customers with unpaid balances are receiving weekly messages to help stay connected to electric and water services.
JEA spokesperson Karen McAllister says the company has over 45,000 customers with an overdue balance. Customers can make payment arrangements and extensions at JEA.com/assistance or call 904-665-6000. However, they suggest using the website due to the possibility of a high call volume.
“As a community-owned utility, we do not want to disconnect any customer and that’s why we’re working so diligently to notify customers about their options and the upcoming deadline,” said McAllister
McAllister added that JEA is relaxing the eligibility criteria for payment arrangements and extending the repayment period to make it easier for customers to quality and manage their payments. JEA is also refunding deposits after 12 months of good payment history instead of 24 months so customers can get money back into their pockets sooner.
JEA will also be removing the fees that are charged when customers use their debit or credit card for payments, starting October 1st.
If you do not have an outstanding balance but want to help, you can use JEA’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fund or through Guest Pay.