Committee reviews emails and texts on LeAnna Cumber’s JEA ties

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – The Special Investigatory Committee voted to create a final report with the newly-disclosed information related to the investigation into Councilmember LeAnna Cumber.

Jacksonville City Council President Terrance Freeman reopened the committee Feb. 1 after emails contradicted Cumber’s claims that she had no conflicts of interest in the JEA attempted sale.

However, surfaced emails found that her husband, Husein Cumber, was involved, prompting requests from councilmembers to investigate further.

Cumber is running for Jacksonville mayor.

Vice Chairman Nick Howland, Councilmen Michael Boylan and Samuel Newby, and City Council President Terrance Freeman were at the committee’s second meeting. 

“It’s clear that Husein Cumber was heavily involved in this process, that seems indisputable, if we can verify the authenticity of these emails,” Howland said. 

“It’s also clear that information should have been disclosed in Councilwoman Cumber’s disclosure and I don’t see how we can ignore that. But I also don’t know what more information we’re going to receive,” he explained. 

The committee voted on motions going forward:

• To request the office of general council to prepare a final report highlighting new information shared during the course of Thursday’s meeting and be completed by March 6. The report the committee voted to have created would include emails between Husein Cumber and JEA.
• The committee to meet again on March 9. to review the final report and to determine whether the investigation should be further investigated by the state’s attorney, city ethics, or the inspector general.
• Ask the office of general counsel to inquire to the FBI if they instructed Cumber not to disclose certain information on her disclosure.

The committee received a packet of information that included a number of emails from the Jimmerson Birr Law Firm with 133 pages of information, according to Howland. 

Howland said there are texts and emails showing half a dozen meetings between the JEA PPP team and Mr. Cumber, which Howland said he “shared with Councilwoman Cumber.”

He noted there are several emails of Mr. Cumber editing documents, “leading the charge,” and arranging meetings for the bid team.

He said Mr. Cumber signed “half a dozen influencers to win over” to the JEA PPP offer to business leaders and former elected leaders. Howland said Mr. Cumber was one of the two people responsible for bringing the “$5 billion energy giant” onto the JEA PPP team.

Howland said that Cumber was “potentially a seller” and that “she may have failed to disclose her husband’s very significant involvement when asked to do so by this committee.”

Boylan urged people answering questions for the committee to “keep the politics out of it,” saying this is “not about an election.”

“Again, I reaffirm my concern, Mr. Chair, that we are being used as instruments in a political process. That concerns me greatly,” Boylan said.

In response, Howland said, “It’s always right to speak the truth, it’s always right to seek the truth, right? So we’re trying to seek the truth here.”

The chairman said Cumber told the committee directly and through her attorney that her husband was an FBI informant and that the FBI “asked her” not to disclose the information on the disclosure to the original Special Investigatory Committee.

City Attorney John Phillips said they don’t know for sure if the information in Cumber’s disclosure is “authentic.” 

“I think having proof of that could have ended this now or at least put to bed the question of why that information was not on the disclosure. At least it could have put to end the concern that the disclosure was potentially deceiving. It might not end the investigation of whether there was any self dealing going on,” Howland said.

Howland asked Phillips how to verify that the FBI told Cumber to withhold the information on her disclosure. Phillips said “there’s nothing to stop” them from asking the FBI to confirm or deny, although, he said in his experience, “they would not generally comment.”

Howland said it “bewilders” him that both JEA PPP and Cumber told him they are not giving any further information. 

“Frankly, I’m not surprised. We’re not getting any more out of JEA PPP, they’re clamming up, their deal fell through, they’re not involved anymore,” Howland said.

Freeman thanked the committee for voting on those motions, which he said will give those a chance to “clear the record.”

“A chance to really answer the questions for the citizens of Jacksonville who have been watching this process over the last several years to get answers and to move forward with the confidence that we, as a body, are operating with integrity,” Freeman said.