MARCH 10 TO MARCH 16, 2022 | JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
BUSINESS & LEGAL NEWS IN BAKER, CLAY, DUVAL, NASSAU AND ST. JOHNS COUNTIES
THE JEA INDICTMENTS
SECRET SPREADSHEETS, A FALSE ‘DEATH SPIRAL’
INSIDE
BERKMAN II
‘Awful blight’ on city skyline is imploded PAGES 16 & 17
GOVERNMENT
Photos by Karen Brune Mathis
Indicted former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn, center, walks out of the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse Downtown on March 8 with his wife after he pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Indicted former JEA Chief Financial Officer Ryan Wannemacher leaves the federal courthouse after pleading not guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges.
Fired JEA Managing Director and CEO Aaron Zahn and CFO Ryan Wannemacher charged with conspiracy, fraud in abandoned effort to sell the city-owned utility. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
F
ormer JEA Managing Director and CEO Aaron Zahn and CFO Ryan Wannemacher went from working as top C-suite figures in one of the largest U.S. municipal utilities to facing federal charges linked to their roles in the attempt to sell JEA to a private company. Nearly 2½ years after they were fired, Zahn and Wannemacher were brought into a Downtown Jacksonville courtroom in
handcuffs and chains March 8 and pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges. Prosecutors for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued an indictment of the men March 2 after a nearly two-year grand jury investigation into the JEA privatization push. They each were released on a $100,000 bond and could face trial as early as May 2. Attorneys for Zahn and Wannemacher said in the initial appearance they were weighing the option to petition the court for a change of venue and move the case out
of Jacksonville. If convicted on all counts, Zahn, 42, and Wannemacher, 40, each face up to 25 years in federal prison and $500,000 in fines. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tysen Duva read the indictment during the initial appearance, arraignment and bond hearing. Zahn’s attorneys are Brian Albritton of Phelps Dunbar LLP in Tampa and Eduardo A. Suarez of Suarez Law Firm, also of Tampa. Attorneys James E. Felman, Katherine SEE JEA, PAGE 14
How JEA is dealing with supply chain issues PAGE 4 THE BASCH REPORT
TD Bank lands First Horizon A week after the First Horizon sign went up on a Downtown Jacksonville building, the bank announced a merger that will require another new sign. PAGE 10 MATHIS REPORT
The end for Southgate Plaza The shopping center along Beach Boulevard near St. Nicholas will make way for an apartment project. PAGE 6 REAL ESTATE
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DEVELOPMENT
Winn-Dixie returning to Arlington center After 17 years, the grocery chain plans to reopen in College Park, the former Town & Country Shopping Center at University Boulevard and Arlington Expressway. PAGE 8
Rising rates fuels ARM interest With interest rates for traditional 30-year mortages on the rise, more homebuyers are seeking the discount they can get with an adjustable rate mortgage. PAGE 12
VOLUME 109, NO. 42 | TWO SECTIONS | PUBLISHED SINCE 1912