A former JEA vice president of communications has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Jacksonville utility of pushing him out of his job because of his age, while keeping younger executives employed through a round of cuts. Mark Stultz claims JEA eliminated his position in 2024 and never offered him another role, even as he says younger vice presidents whose jobs were also cut were simply reassigned elsewhere.
Stultz filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, according to PacerMonitor, which lists the matter as Stultz v. JEA. As first reported by News4JAX, the complaint accuses JEA of violating both the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
JEA hired Stultz as vice president of communications in January 2022 at a starting annual salary of $197,018, reporting directly to Chief External Affairs Officer Laura Schepis, according to a company announcement at the time. Before joining the utility, Stultz spent decades in energy policy and media, including stints as managing partner at D.C.-based EVC Insights LLC, vice president roles at BP, the Natural Gas Supply Association and the Electric Power Supply Association, and an early career as a broadcast news anchor in Pennsylvania and Maryland, per the same announcement.
Cuts Came Amid Leadership Shakeup
According to the complaint, JEA notified Stultz in July 2024 that his position was being eliminated and that his employment would end that August 9. The utility said at the time it was reducing the number of vice president positions, the lawsuit states. Stultz, who says he was among JEA's oldest vice presidents and was older than 40, alleges that younger vice presidents whose roles were also eliminated were placed in other jobs, while he was not offered a continuing position.
Stultz further alleges that the communications duties he performed continued on after his departure, this time under a younger employee.
The timing of Stultz's departure lines up with a period of sweeping change atop JEA. Former CEO Jay Stowe resigned in April 2024, after which Vickie Cavey stepped in as interim chief before being named permanent CEO that September, according to Florida Politics.
Lawsuit Lands as JEA Faces Broader Scrutiny
Stultz's suit arrives against a backdrop of mounting turmoil at the utility. Cavey herself resigned effective September 25, after taking a leave of absence amid City Council oversight probes into workplace culture and uncollected fees, as reported by First Coast News.
JEA serves over 541,000 electric customers along with extensive regional water and sewer operations, per statements released by Sierra Club Florida.
What Stultz Is Seeking
The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act is one of the laws cited in Stultz’s suit.
Stultz is seeking back pay and benefits, damages, and either reinstatement or front pay. The case centers on whether JEA discriminated against Stultz because of his age, as he alleges.
As with any pending federal case, Stultz's allegations remain unproven, and JEA's formal legal response in court will lay out the utility's defense. JEA has also faced scrutiny this year, alongside recent rate hikes that pushed average monthly bills up for Jacksonville households.
