JEA board approves bonus for CEO, others; slightly lowers electric bills

City-owned utility took heat for missing goal for restoration after Matthew

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – JEA board members voted Tuesday to give the CEO and other employees of the city-owned utility bonuses. They also approved a rate change that will decrease bills slightly.

CEO Paul McElroy, who came under fire last month for not being in town during Hurricane Matthew and for the utility failing to meet its self-imposed deadline to restore power to all customers, will receive a $55,000 bonus for achieving strategic goals during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 -- the period that ended days before the storm brushed the coast of northeast Florida.

McElroy could have received a bonus of up to 15 percent of his base pay, which would be $65,000, but the board agreed to give him a slightly smaller amount.

McElroy left Jacksonville the day before Hurricane Matthew hit to attend his daughter's wedding and did not return until the following Monday. During that time, more than 225,000 JEA customers lost power.

While he was out of town, McElroy managed the utility's response to Hurricane Matthew by staying in contact with the board, spending more than 9½ hours on the phone before and after the storm, according to records obtained by the News4Jax I-TEAM. 

I-TEAM: How CEO managed JEA's storm response while out of town

McElroy has taken responsibility for the problems that JEA experienced as a result of the storm, including the broken promise of restoring power to all customers in just a few days and millions of gallons of raw sewage that spilled when backup generators failed at pump stations. 

The board also approved a electric-rate change that would lower the average homeowner's bill $1 per month. While the proposal would have a very minor effect on everyday customers, it would greatly impact the bills of local businesses.

According to JEA, the typical residential customer would see the base charge go from $87 per month to $91 per month, but the fuel charge would drop from $37 per month to $33 per month, for a net savings.