JEA board member wants embattled CEO Aaron Zahn fired

Former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn embodied Northeast Florida politics in 2019.

The tenure of Jacksonville’s public utility CEO may be coming to an end.

Board member Henry Brown has written a letter calling for the resignation of JEA chief executive officer Aaron Zahn at Tuesday morning’s board meeting.

Brown is the CEO of Miller Electric and a member of the JAX Chamber Board of Directors.

Brown wrote Zahn Saturday that he intended “to propose a motion at the beginning of the December 17th board of directors meeting to terminate your employment for convenience in accordance with section 3.1.5 of your employment agreement.”

The rationale: “it is in the best interest of JEA and the City of Jacksonville for us to move forward with new leadership.”

That new leadership is not far away: “Given that the JEA Charter requires a Managing Director, I am planning to propose that Melissa Dykes be named as interim Managing Director and CEO effectively immediately. She is a talented and experienced utility executive, and I would hope the board would give her the opportunity to earn the permanent role before exploring a wider search.”

Many wondered why Dykes was not considered in the first place. She was given a promotion and a new title when Zahn became interim CEO.

Brown does not want Zahn at the meeting.

“Given the emotional and personal nature of this discussion, it is my recommendation that you do not attend Tuesday’s board meeting, although it is certainly your choice. I am sure that either myself, another board member, or the appropriate officer of JEA will inform you of the board’s decision. My understanding through our discussions is that you will respect the final determination of the board in this matter. Thank you for your service to our city,” Miller concluded.

In a brief statement issued by JEA, Zahn said he serves “at the pleasure of the board” and “will abide by their decision.”

Zahn, the highest paid public employee in the history of Duval County, has been a leading proponent of the push to sell the utility.

The Invitation to Negotiate, or ITN, received 16 active bids for water, sewer, and electric components, eliciting global interest in the country’s eighth largest municipal utility.

Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Emera and others are making bids for the electricity service, while French water company Veolia is among those seeking the water side of the utility.

Zahn emerged from the JEA Board, where he served as a junior member for a couple of meetings before entering the CEO derby, which he won in part because of what one board member described as his “passion.”

Calls for Zahn’s resignation picked up momentum in late November, with City Councilman Matt Carlucci calling for the 38-year-old CEO to move on.

At that point, board chair April Green said the seven-member panel had “full faith and support” of the embattled chief executive.

Days later, more evidence emerged that a controversial executive bonus plan was not greenlighted.

The Florida Times-Union reported that city attorneys did not approve a controversial bonus plan that would have allowed employees to profit from a sale of the utility.

A memo from Jacksonville General Counsel Jason Gabriel did not show legal go-ahead on the plan when approved this summer, and that the plan was “shuttered last month on his advice.”

JEA officials asserted that the plan and its specifics were approved, ahead of the JEA Board approving it.

A call to stop the sale push was deferred in Jacksonville’s City Council until January.