Jacksonville, Fla. — Today, Jacksonville City Council Special Committee continued its investigation into Mayoral Candidate LeAnna Cumber and allegations of a conflict of interest linked to the failed JEA sale. New evidence was uncovered, showing Cumber’s husband played a role in the attempts to sell the public utility.
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According to City Council Member Nick Howland, new evidence consisting of over 130 pages from a local law firm shows there were many communications between LeAnna Cumbers husband and the JEA bid team.
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During the original investigation into the failed sale of JEA -- All city council members were asked to fill out a conflict-of-interest form related to any JEA bid teams.
City Council Member Cumber said she had no conflict on the form, but it was later discovered her husband was involved in early bid discussions.
She says she wrote no because at the time her husband was an informant for The FBI while it was looking into the failed sale of the public utility.
“Husein Cumber, we saw about three dozen emails from him regarding JEA, PPP in emails or text. We saw that he arranged six different meetings regarding the bid strategy,” Nick Howland said.
JEA’s PPP, Public Power Partners, was the group pitching a concession agreement to operate JEA for 30 years.
City Council Member Nick Howland said during the last two weeks five pieces of information were given to the city council. Four of them contained no new information regarding Cumber’s husband.
“But one was from a law firm, Jimerson Birr highlighting 133 pages of general communications that Council Member Cumber’s husband had running The JEA PPP bid team,” Nick Howland said.
Howland says those documents also indicate Cumber’s husband was assigned to speak with six current and formerly elected leaders to try and influence them towards doing a JEA sale.
At this time Cumber is being investigated for the following:
1. Was the committee deceived or misled by Cumber or JEA PPP
2. Did Cumber use her position to sway the investigation for her own benefit
3. Should city council propose legislation to make sure deceptions, if any, do not impede the work of any future investigatory committee.
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There will be another meeting on the matter on Mar. 9. Action News Jax will be in attendance and once we know more, we will make sure to update you.
