Letter from Managing Director and CEO

A Letter to Customers from Vickie Cavey, Interim Managing Director and CEO

May 15, 2024

Dear Valued JEA Customer,

When I first joined JEA 40 years ago as a freshly minted mechanical engineer from the University of Florida, my goal was to learn the business, understand the needs of our customers and work hard to help provide meaningful services to Jacksonville and our surrounding communities. Throughout my time at JEA, I have had the privilege of serving our customers and stakeholders in a broad range of leadership roles, from engineering and business strategy to commercial accounts and customer experience. 

As I return now to serve as JEA’s interim managing director and CEO, my commitment remains the same – to ensure we meet our customers’ needs by providing the most reliable and cost-effective utility services, while also protecting our environment and safeguarding our resources for future generations. 

JEA’s 2,200 dedicated employees have worked hard to ensure that JEA and the community are well-positioned for a bright future. For the past several years, we have paid down corporate debt and implemented financial strategies to ensure you are paying the lowest metropolitan utility bills in the state. We are implementing a recently developed electric integrated resource plan to provide cleaner energy during the next decade and beyond. We are ensuring the protection of our water source – the Floridan aquifer - through a variety of conservation initiatives and water reuse programs. 

In my new role, I want to build on these and other successes to ensure you are receiving the maximum value for the money you pay for our services. We will be looking at ways to streamline costs and mitigate any necessary rate adjustments. We will be diligent in how we invest in our capital projects to improve our infrastructure and prepare us for regional growth. We will continue to examine how we are structured to provide best-in-class tools and programs to help you manage your bills and usage. 

In short, we will be administratively lean and service-focused. 

To accomplish this, I’ll be relying on many different sources of feedback, but none more important than what I hear from you, the community we proudly serve. In order for JEA to become the best utility in the nation, we must listen, learn and implement best practices that are aligned with your needs and the needs of Northeast Florida. I look forward to hearing from you as we begin a new and exciting chapter.

Vickie Cavey