OP council member wants JEA out, Clay Electric in

Orange Park Town Council Member Susana Thompson said she wants the town to explore replacing Orange Park’s current electric supplier: JEA, with Clay Electric.

Thompson made her comments during the October 4 town council meeting, citing the Jacksonville-based utility’s high rates.

“Our residents are paying an astronomical amount with the JEA upcharges,” she said, noting that she heard that Clay Electric has a potential connection to the city on Solomon Street. “Is there any way we can check on that and maybe get Clay Electric back in here?”

Town Manager Sarah Campbell told Thompson that JEA had supplied power to town residents since 1969, and by ordinance, Orange Park granted the utility an exclusive franchise for the service. Campbell also said JEA owns the power infrastructure in the municipality.

“You could attempt to untangle yourself from that,” Campbell said of the relationship with JEA. “It would be a lengthy process, and you would have bidders—you would open it up for bids for somebody to buy out JEA’s infrastructure. JEA is not going to let Clay Electric use its lines.”

“It’s not impossible,” added Town Attorney Sam Garrison, “but it is complicated and messy.”

Vice mayor Allan Watt recommended against Thompson’s idea.

“I don’t know why we would even consider something like that,’ Watt said.  

The vice mayor added that Clay Electric has informed its members that its rates are increasing due to the price of fuel for generating power.

“All the utilities are getting killed by the price of natural gas and other things, so their rates are going to go up very high just like JEA’s,” he said.

Watt added that JEA has always restored power faster to its customers during past storms than the Keystone Heights-based co-op.

“It’s true for every storm, but let’s take Irma,” Watt said. “In the town, we were out of power, I don’t know, I think my house was out of power three days. The places in the county were out three, four weeks, plus because they (Clay Electric) can’t handle it.”

Garrison recommended a prudent first step in addressing Thompson’s concerns would be to invite JEA to a town council meeting to explain the utility’s rates and to answer questions. Council members appeared to agree with the lawyer.