Jacksonville City Council moves to ensure voter input into any JEA sale

For the second straight week, Jacksonville City Council members mulled ongoing efforts to privatize JEA.

The narrative has gotten rockier for the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry in recent weeks, with poison pills preceding each Council conclave.

Just as the meeting to discuss the valuation report was presaged with the Council President saying Curry’s chief of staff wanted immediate legislation to push a sale forward, Thursday’s meeting came hours after revelations that members of the administration had sidestepped Council and procurement code and pushed out an RFP for companies that had experience with transactions.

Complicating the narrative further: the company that conducted the valuation report was also handling the RFP.

Council members, including three on the special committee formed by the Council President, were roiled by the tactics.

Thursday saw Councilman John Crescimbeni put forth two draft bills, each of which would offer voter input before moving forward.

One bill would have a referendum to approve any sale of 10 percent of more of JEA that Council committed to, similar to the Better Jacksonville Plan; the other one would set up a straw ballot on the November ballot (a bill similar to the measure filed by Councilman Garrett Dennis this week, for the August ballot).

“What happens if this goes to the voters? Somebody will launch a marketing campaign,” Crescimbeni predicted.

“If this gets approved in November, everybody running for office will be asked. If somebody expresses an opinion different from this straw ballot, they will not be elected,” Crescimbeni added.

Councilman Dennis described his bill as a simple “yes/no” question, in light of persistent feedback he’s gotten of opposition to the sale.

Dennis noted transparency and trust issues with the administration.

“I read where the Council President said ‘this doesn’t pass the smell test’,” Dennis said, offering to sub Crescimbeni’s bills for his if needed.

Council President Anna Brosche offered to make the sub effective on the addendum on Tuesday night’s Council meeting.

It will be in the regular, 6 week legislative cycle.