JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax has learned that since JEA took over management of Normandy Village Utility (NVU), the public utility’s call center has been flooded with inquiries, reaching its highest call volume in nearly two years.

The influx in calls comes primarily from Normandy Village residents as well as existing JEA customers with questions about their unusually high heat-related August bills – which have significantly impacted customer wait times.

JEA said the average call wait time has increased nearly 50%, rising from 11.4 minutes over the past 20 months to 16.4 minutes so far in September. The longest wait time this month was 30.3 minutes on Sept. 2, while the shortest came on Sept. 17 at 7 minutes.

JEA call wait times JEA wait times for answers by the call center JEA call wait times JEA wait times for answers by the call center JEA call wait times JEA wait times for answers by the call center JEA call wait times JEA wait times for answers by the call center >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE Normandy Village Utility Placed Under Receivership

Earlier this month, a court officially placed Normandy Village Utility into receivership, handing operational control of its water and sewer systems over to JEA. This decision affects approximately 1,350 meters in the Westside neighborhood.

The change comes after years of customer complaints and repeated issues with the private utility company, ranging from water shutoffs without warning to unreliable billing practices and poor infrastructure maintenance.

“Dealing with this crap for 30 years”

In June, over a dozen Normandy Village residents attended a town hall meeting. Many voiced years-long frustrations and anger over what they describe as neglect and mismanagement.

“We’ve been here 30 years,” one customer said. “We’ve been dealing with this crap for 30 years.”

Residents detailed a litany of issues, including:

  • Water turning off unexpectedly, sometimes during showers or while cooking.
  • Inconsistent billing or no bills at all.
  • Outdated infrastructure with little to no communication from NVU.

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What’s Next for Normandy Village?

Despite the transition, customers should not expect immediate changes to their bills or rates. According to JEA:

  • NVU customers will continue to pay their current water and sewer rates.
  • This receivership only affects water and sewer services, not electricity.
  • JEA has created a dedicated service line and online resources specifically for NVU customers.

JEA Chief Water Systems Officer Robert Zammataro sought to reassure residents in a news release.

“Customers can be confident that JEA will provide reliable water and wastewater services throughout this process,” Zammataro said. “Our focus is on providing stability, transparency, and service improvements where needed.”

Action News Jax asked JEA if it has a benchmark for call center wait times, but a utility spokesperson declined to say, only commenting that “JEA is dedicated to serving our customers and meeting their needs.”

A Community Town Hall hosted by JEA is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25, where residents will be able to ask questions and receive updates directly from utility officials.

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