A look at the events at the city-owned utility leading up to the firing of CEO Aaron Zahn:
April 10, 2018: The Jacksonville City Council unanimously approves a measure placing the question of whether Council should authorize the sale of more than 10% of JEA’s assets on the Nov. 6, 2018, ballot.
April 17, 2018: Aaron Zahn resigns as JEA board member and is elected interim managing director and CEO, replacing Paul McElroy, who resigned.
Nov. 27, 2018: Zahn is named permanent JEA CEO in a unanimous board vote. He’s selected over Cris Eugster, chief operating officer of San Antonio-based CPS Energy, and former Bahamas Power and Light CEO Pamela Hill.
Nov. 6, 2018: Duval County voters approve a nonbinding straw ballot measure telling Council they want a say in the sale of JEA.
Nov. 27, 2018: Council approves a City Charter amendment that requires a voter referendum to sell more than 10% of JEA.
January: JEA staff begins a strategic planning process that will lead to an invitation to negotiate the possible sale of the utility.
May/June: Zahn and JEA officials tell the board the utility will have to lay off 30% of its workforce and raise electric rates by 26% if JEA remains publicly owned without City Charter and state Constitution changes allowing JEA to diversify its business.
July 23: The JEA board votes to allow Zahn to initiate an invitation to negotiate with private companies that could lead to a possible sale of the utility.
Aug. 1: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry says he would use proceeds from the sale of JEA to pay off the city’s $2.2 billion in outstanding bond debt with the remaining money invested for future city projects.
Aug. 2: JEA issues the invitation to negotiate and process timeline. The procurement method includes a cone of silence to keep bidders’ names and offers secret until a top bid is selected by negotiators.
Oct. 14: JEA announces nine private companies will move into negotiations to possibly sell JEA. The utility releases the identities of eight of the nine companies as public pressure for transparency grows. The companies include Florida Power & Light Co. parent NextEra Energy Inc. and international firms that include Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Inc.
Oct. 28: City Council member Michael Boylan announces he will chair 14 fact-finding hearings into the possible JEA sale. Council President Scott Wilson announces he will use $1.85 million earmarked to hire a special counsel to advise Council on the JEA invitation to negotiate.
Nov. 6: Jacksonville Civic Council CEO Jeanne Miller appears at a City Council hearing to refute JEA’s claim of a financial death spiral and says there is not enough evidence to warrant the sale of JEA.
Nov. 18: The City Council Auditor issues a memo warning a value-based, stock-option-style Long-Term Performance Unit Plan for JEA employees could cost the city up to $636 million is the utility is sold.
Nov. 19: Zahn tells Council President Scott Wilson he will recommend the JEA board kill the Long-Term Performance Unit Plan.
Nov. 25: Curry unexpectedly addresses the Council, stating his support of the invitation to negotiate as former Mayor Jake Godbold speaks out against the process.
Nov. 25: The Florida Commission on Ethics begins to investigate possible conflicts of interest with JEA negotiators because of retention bonuses they would receive if the utility is sold. JEA senior management is replaced on the bid negotiating team by three members of Curry’s administration.
Dec. 4: A previously unreleased memo from the City General Counsel Jason Gabriel dated Nov. 12 surfaces, showing city attorneys recommended JEA kill the long-term performance plan.
Dec. 11: The NAACP calls for Congress to launch an investigation into Curry's administration and JEA executives in response to the possible sale of the utility.
Dec. 12: Curry calls on the JEA board to speed up negotiations with bidders and send multiple options to City Council for vetting by the end of January 2020.
Dec. 15: JEA board member Henry Brown adds his voice to City Council member Matt Carlucci’s and others calling for Zahn’s termination.
Dec. 16: City Council members Rory Diamond and Ron Salem hold a hearing on the Long-Term Performance Unit Plan. Diamond calls the program “legal theft.” He calls for the termination of Zahn and JEA CFO Ryan Wannemacher.
Dec. 17: The JEA board votes to fire Zahn without cause, placing him on paid administrative leave until attorneys can negotiate his final severance package. JEA COO Melissa Dykes is named interim CEO.
Dec. 17: A Jacksonville Civic Council letter to state and city officials calls for a grand jury investigation into the possible sale of JEA, Zahn and utility and city officials involved in the process.
