JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A delay in JEA's board meeting puts a pause on the exit of CEO Aaron Zahn.
He has been on paid leave since Dec. 17 and while it is known Zahn will not return to head the public utility, details of his departure are still in negotiations. The City of Jacksonville's legal arm said an investigation into the matter is nearly complete.
An exact severance for Zahn is still to be determined but is potentially worth as much as $840,000, according to reports.
“I think he needs to be fired with cause and if he feels that we owe him money then he needs to sue us," Councilman Garrett Dennis said regarding Zahn's exit.
The City’s Office of General Counsel asked and received a delay to JEA's scheduled board meeting as it wraps up an investigation on whether there is cause to fire Zahn. Dennis said he hoped for a grand jury called by State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office, however, he learned late last week that was off the table for the time being.
“Very surprised," Dennis said. "There have been things of less significance that she has investigated, so I’m very disappointed."
The On Your Side team reached out to JEA with questions about Zahn’s contract, who’s in the room negotiating his severance and what, if anything, changing leadership means for customers. Those questions were left unanswered by our deadline.
In a public meeting Jan. 6, Dennis said he would introduce a bill to give City Council more power over who sits on JEA’s board. Presently, the mayor appoints all seven seats, but Dennis' bill would give City Council three candidates to appoint to the board -- leaving the mayor still with four candidates that would later be confirmed by City Council.
"City Council has just as much vested interest in JEA as the executive branch does, so it’s an opportunity to put this before the voters,” Dennis said.
He plans to push City Council on his bill, giving a deadline of early April to introduce it before the 19-member body.
Dennis added, “There is a concern that if we don’t do it, the clock is going to run out.”