JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO Cheron Corbett Waller’s future could be decided Tuesday, when the agency’s board holds a special meeting following questions about her failed compensation proposal and JHA’s finances.
JHA Board Chair Daniel Blanchard sent an email to Corbett Waller informing her the agenda item is “CEO Performance Continued Employment-Board Discussion and Potential Related Actions.”
Action News Jax first told you last week about her resolution to receive 12% of developer fees from projects such as the redevelopment of Franklin Arms.
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The plan could have paid her nearly $1 million from that project alone. That would have been above her $300,000 base salary.
The JHA board rejected the plan, which the board chair called “offensive.”
‘Red flags’
Action News Jax’s Ben Becker has obtained a 10-page analysis titled “Red Flags for Board Meeting,” detailing broader concerns about JHA’s finances, contracts, and board oversight ahead of that meeting.
The assessment was compiled by former Jacksonville Ethics Director Carla Miller, now a special adviser to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, after board members raised concerns about JHA’s numbers.
According to Miller’s analysis, unaudited figures showed JHA was $1.8 million in the red through July. The housing voucher program had paid out $2.4 million more than the agency received in federal assistance, while restricted voucher reserves were at zero. Miller wrote that JHA was on pace for a nearly $4 million loss.
Jacksonville City Council member Michael Boylan, JHA’s City Council liaison, conceded the financial issues when Becker asked him about the numbers.
“I certainly acknowledge it’s trending in the wrong direction right now,” Boylan said. “My larger concern is we are heading down a path we need to address now.”
Outsourced voucher program
Miller’s review also mentioned JHA’s no-bid contract with Nan McKay, the private company brought in by Corbett Waller to operate the housing authority’s voucher program.
The board was promised $1.6 million a year in savings after 50 local jobs were eliminated or outsourced. But Miller’s analysis shows JHA had paid Nan McKay $4.6 million through July while the voucher program was losing money.
Mayor’s office response
The Mayor’s Office, which appoints the JHA board, affirmed the program has faced challenges for years, including problems that predate the current administration and JHA leadership.
The administration pointed to large rent increases following the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of available housing for low- and extremely low-income residents.
But the Mayor’s Office said the steps JHA has taken so far don’t appear to be fixing the problem.
“ … Our concern is it appears the solutions currently implemented to alleviate this challenge are not improving the situation.”
The Mayor’s Office also pointed to Executive Order 2026-03, saying it was issued to give independent authority board members tools to provide proper financial oversight.
“This is an example where a board has a fiduciary responsibility to perform its due diligence.”
Becker asked Deegan’s office directly whether she still has confidence in Corbett Waller’s ability to lead JHA.
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The Mayor’s Office did not directly answer the question and instead pointed to the JHA board.
“JHA has a strong and professional board that is empowered to oversee agency leadership and make decisions that are in the best interest of tenants and taxpayers. They work with the CEO on a regular basis and are best positioned to judge performance.”
The administration did, however, give a direct answer when asked whether anyone in the Mayor’s Office had encouraged or asked Corbett Waller to resign, either directly or through a JHA board member.
Its answer: “No.”
‘JEA parallels’
The Mayor’s Office said it was notified by JHA board members after they received a packet containing numerous lengthy and complex documents for the Oct. 19 meeting without ample time to review them.
Miller’s analysis also raised concerns about the late submission of key documents, which gave board members roughly one business day to review complex financial information and Corbett Waller’s compensation proposal.
The analysis draws parallels to the process surrounding Jacksonville’s 2019 JEA scandal, when the utility’s board approved a controversial executive bonus plan.
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The Mayor’s Office stressed that Miller’s comparison was about the process and not a finding of wrongdoing.
“The parallels here are in the process, not in any finding of wrongdoing: complex financial and compensation items bundled together, little time or information for the board, and an executive bonus tied to the deals management would recommend.”
Former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn later went to federal prison in connection with the JEA scandal.
The city’s Office of General Counsel is also reviewing the legality of Corbett Waller’s proposed compensation plan, even though the JHA board rejected it.
Years of issues at JHA
The latest questions come after more than two years of Action News Jax investigations into JHA, including vendor payment problems, leadership turnover, criminal charges against the agency’s former deputy chief financial officer, and multiple investigations by Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General.
JHA has also faced past disputes involving executive compensation. Former CEO Dwayne Alexander alleged he was “pushed out” by the Mayor’s Office after asking for a $100,000 raise. The board also pushed back over contract demands from CEO candidate George Guy.
What’s next
As JHA’s board prepares to discuss Corbett Waller’s future, Boylan said he wants the authority’s nearly 10,000 residents to know there is a commitment to keeping them housed.
“I know there is a commitment by the board and the management of JHA to continue to put a roof over their heads.”
Action News Jax reached out to Corbett Waller about JHA’s finances and her future with the housing authority but had not received a response.
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