JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax’s Ben Becker is exposing a potential conflict of interest at the highest levels of JEA and its ties to a powerful lobbying firm that includes former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.
Internal emails raise new concerns
Action News Jax has obtained internal JEA emails that suggest two former leaders may have used their positions to direct business to the City of Jacksonville while they were at the utility and were offered a personal financial stake in the deal.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The investigation uncovered new questions about Kurt Wilson’s outside business activities while employed at JEA as the utility’s Chief of Staff before having a fallout with CEO Vickie Cavey.
Internal emails starting in 2022 reveal that Wilson and former JEA board chair Bobby Stein helped a private telehealth company, RightSite Health, secure a contract with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
According to its website, RightSite, based in San Antonio, Texas, is a health care service that partners with 911/EMS to provide on-scene, on-demand telehealth with emergency room doctors and patient navigators for non-emergency patients.
They are partnered with at least seven cities and fire departments across the country, including JFRD.
Emails show both men were offered equity stakes in the company, raising concerns about transparency and compliance with ethics rules.
- Wilson was offered a 0.25% stake and a seat on the company’s advisory board.
- Stein was offered a 1% stake.
Action News Jax found no evidence that either man disclosed these offers to JEA or Jacksonville’s Office of Ethics, Compliance and Oversight to seek guidance or approvals.
According to JEA policy, employees must file a secondary employment application for:
- Paid consulting work
- Outside employment conducted during working hours
JEA confirmed Wilson never filed such an application.
Separately, Jacksonville’s ethics guidelines require board members to seek review when:
- Using their position for personal gain
- Engaging in business with entities tied to the city
In addition, a review of Stein’s financial disclosures filed with the State of Florida Commission on Ethics did not list RightSite as a source of income.
Neither Wilson nor Stein confirmed whether they accepted or declined the equity offers.
In December 2024, the State Attorney’s Office concluded Stein and other board members did not commit Sunshine Law violations surrounding the hiring of Cavey.
This is despite an Office of Inspector General report that said the board needed better training. The whistleblower called the State Attorney’s decision a “B.S. cover up job.” Stein resigned from the board in January 2025.
Timeline of events
Emails show that in October 2022, at Stein’s request, Wilson arranged a meeting between former Fire Chief Keith Powers and RightSite Health CEO Jamo Rubin to discuss the company.
Wilson previously served as Jacksonville’s fire chief from 2015 to 2019 after being appointed by Curry. Curry later appointed Stein to the JEA board in 2020.
A pilot program started with JFRD in March 2023 before RightSite secured a five-year, no-bid contract in September 2024.
Political tensions and lobbying ties
Wilson testified under oath Monday before a special investigatory committee formed by Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico that includes City Council members Ron Salem, Rory Diamond and Ju’Coby Pittman, which is working to uncover answers.
During testimony, Wilson described what he characterized as a toxic corporate culture caused by Cavey, which he claims led to his position being eliminated in February when he brought his concerns to the board’s attention.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has publicly supported Cavey and suggested that lobbyists -- including Curry and Jordan Elsbury -- may be behind efforts to undermine JEA.
The accusations come after Cavey declined to renew a five-year, $750,000 lobbying contract with the firm Ballard Partners, a contract JEA said was initiated solely by Wilson. Curry and Elsbury are also the lobbyists for RightSite.
Curry’s role as a JEA lobbyist raised concerns as questions still lingered about his administration’s part in the attempted sale of JEA, which eventually landed former CEO Aaron Zahn in federal prison on conspiracy and fraud charges. Curry never faced criminal charges.
The attacks against Cavey’s leadership -- including the workplace accusations and the utility’s failure to charge large commercial customers additional capacity fees -- surfaced shortly after we obtained a text exchange between Carrico and JEA board member Arthur Adams.
That exchange appeared to show Carrico removing the sitting board member to repay what Carrico called a “big favor” to his boss, Paul Martinez, the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs, where Carrico is a Vice-President. Martinez eventually dropped out and former Fire Union President Randy Wyse was nominated by Carrico.
Currently, the State Attorney’s office is probing Carrico’s emails and texts related to JEA.
Carrico’s elaborate $200,000 installation ceremony at Deerwood Castle in June 2025 was coordinated by Elsbury -- which led to legislation being filed by City Council member Matt Carlucci to limit officer installations to city-owned facilities. The bill ultimately failed.
Broader investigation into city contracts
The issue is also unfolding alongside a separate review by “Duval DOGE,” a city oversight initiative examining a $2 million contract with another telehealth provider, Telescope Health, which runs the city’s telehealth services and is part of Healthlink Jax.
Diamond, who is also involved in that effort, has advocated for considering RightSite, noting the company does not charge the city directly but instead bills Medicare and Medicaid.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
When asked whether he was aware of the equity offers, Diamond told Action News Jax:
“I had no knowledge of any of the ownership of RightSite when we started our investigation. That said, who owns these entities doesn’t matter, I just don’t want to spend any taxpayer money on any of it.”
Emails show both Wilson and Stein attempted to meet with top officials in the mayor’s administration to pitch RightSite in November 2023. In a statement, the mayor’s office said:
“Former JEA employee Kurt Wilson introduced RightSite Health to the administration in late 2023. We were evaluating different telehealth service models at the time and identified through that conversation that the company did not meet specific program needs. In 2024, the Healthlink Jax telehealth program went through a transparent procurement process that was cleared by the Office of Inspector General. RightSite Health chose not to participate in this RFP. Given this history and that the full City Council has approved funding for Healthlink Jax twice, it was curious to see a couple council members bring RightSite Health back up as a solution during the DOGE Committee.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
What’s next
Action News Jax has reached out to Wilson, Stein, Curry, Elsbury, and RightSite Health regarding the undisclosed business dealings and lobbying connections. As of publication, statements have not been received.
The JEA investigatory committee is scheduled to meet again April 13.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.