JEA Board Names Vickie Cavey CEO and Managing Director

Today, the JEA Board voted to make Vickie Cavey JEA’s CEO and managing director, removing “interim” from her title effective today.

Before the vote, Board member John Baker remarked, “Vickie has shown incredible leadership. She has gotten in and made significant changes that most interim (leaders) would not have touched.”

The board named Cavey interim CEO and managing director last April 15, after the resignation of Jay Stowe, who led the utility for more than three years.

Cavey is a 32-year veteran of JEA who retired in 2016, then returned as special assistant for external affairs to interim CEO Paul McElroy in May 2020. She then assisted McElroy’s successor, Stowe, as board liaison from November 2020 through January 2021. She began her JEA career in 1984 as a mechanical engineer in the power engineering division, one of JEA’s first female engineers. She then advanced to managerial roles in commercial key accounts and special projects prior to director roles overseeing strategic partnerships/acquisitions and strategy development and execution. with deep knowledge of JEA operations and strong ties to the Jacksonville community. She returned to JEA on March 26, 2024, in a temporary role as liaison to the board.

In other news, Chief Customer Officer Sheila Pressley noted upcoming changes to restoration of credit / debit card fees.

Effective Sept. 30, 2024, JEA payments made with a credit or debit card through jea.com or our automated phone system (IVR) will be subject to a vendor service fee.

Over the past two years, JEA has absorbed these fees totaling more than $9 million. JEA determined that it would restore customer-funded fees in June 2024 to return to alignment with normal utility sector practices.

JEA continued to work with KUBRA in the last several weeks to minimize the impact on customers who choose to use credit or debit cards. A new structure reduces the top-tier fee level and caps the maximum payment. The fees are pass-through costs from JEA’s processing vendor, KUBRA. JEA does not profit from the fees.

Effective, Sept. 30, fees for card payments will be:

• $2.35 for payments up to $400.
• $8.95 for payments between $400.01 - $1,000.
• $40 for payments between $1,000.01 - $2,500.

Customers will continue to have access to fee-free payment options, including direct bank transfers, checks or cash payments.