- About
- 2021.02.17 JEA Announces New Leadership Team
- 2021.03.11 JEA Receives First Place Safety Award from Florida Municipal Electric Association
- 2021.06.15 JEA Names Theodore B. Phillips Chief Financial Officer
- 2021.07.13 JEA Announces New COO and VP of Financial Services
- 2021.08.17 JEA Builds Out Leadership Team with Hiring of Chief External Affairs Officer
- 2021.09.15 JEA Names New Chief Information Officer, VP of Technical Services
- 2021.09.30 Ricky Erixton, JEA Vice President of Electric Systems, Named to SERC Reliability Board of Directors
- 2021.09.30 Ricardo “Rick” Morales III Appointed to JEA Board of Directors
- 2021.11.03 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Programs that Build Community
- 2022.01.06 JEA Names its First Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- 2022.01.07 JEA Reducing Carbon Emissions with Closure of Plant Scherer Coal-fired Unit
- 2022.01.17 Statement on Holiday Road Sewer Overflow
- 2022.01.27 JEA Names Mark Stultz Vice President, Communications
- 2022.02.11 JEA Honored as Outstanding Utility by Florida Urban Forestry Council
- 2022.04.08 Steven Selders Promoted to JEA Vice President, Application Delivery and Enterprise Architecture
- 2022.04.26 JEA Managing Director & CEO Jay Stowe, Appointed to Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council
- 2022.06.01 JEA Partnering with Customers to be Ready for 2022 Hurricane Season
- 2022.06.08 JEA Announces Next Generation of Customer Experience Delivery
- 2022.06.13 JEA Presents Environmental Stewardship Award to Evoqua Water Technologies
- 2022.07.26 JEA to Suspend Electric, Water Disconnections During Peak of Summer Heat
- 2022.08.27 Precautionary Boil Water Advisory Remains in Effect for Sandalwood Area as JEA Continues Testing
- 2022.08.28 JEA Lifts Boil Water Advisory for Sandalwood Area
- 2022.09.26 JEA Prepares for Hurricane Ian, Response Procedures in Place
- 2022.09.27 JEA Prepared to Respond to Hurricane Ian Impacts
- 2022.09.28 JEA Welcomes Mutual Aid Response to Hurricane Ian
- 2022.09.29 JEA Crews Restoring Power Throughout Jacksonville
- 2022.10.03 JEA Names Pedro Melendez Vice President, Planning, Engineering & Construction
- 2022.10.20 JEA Honors Local Agency Partners for Their Work in the Community
- 2022.11.04 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Community Work in Northeast Florida
- 2022.11.08 JEA Prepares for Subtropical Storm Nicole
- 2022.11.11 All Storm Restorations Continue Today; JEA to Lift Limited Emergency Operations
- 2022.12.12 JEA Women's, Men's Teams Win Top Honors at Statewide Water Competition
- 2022.12.20 JEA Offers Tips in Advance of Severe Cold Weather
- 2022.12.24 JEA Offers Tips During Severe Cold Weather
- 2023.01.10 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Mutual Aid Work
- 2023.03.06 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Safety
- 2023.03.07 New JEA HQ Customer Center to Open April 10
- 2023.04.06 JEA Lineworkers Earn Top Honors at International Lineman’s Rodeo
- 2023.04.25 Community Invited to May 25 Public Forum on Northeast Florida’s Energy Future
- 2023.05.01 JEA Receives Recognition for Commitment to Urban Tree Management
- 2023.05.18 JEA's Long-Range Clean Energy Plan Available to Public
- 2023.05.26 JEA Ready for 2023 Hurricane Season, Offers Tips to Help Customers Prepare
- 2023.06.05 Helen Materazzi Named JEA Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness
- 2023.06.14 JEA Upgrading Water Meters for All Customers
- 2023.06.15 JEA Crews Heading to Tallahassee to Assist with Storm Restoration
- 2023.06.26 JEA Presents Environmental Stewardship Award to 29 Local Companies
- 2023.07.14 JEA Launches Fleet Vehicle Electrification Program
- 2023.08.22 JEA Issues Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for South Philips Highway and Nocatee Area, Encourages All Customers to Conserve
- 2023.08.22 Chief Human Resources Officer, VyStar Credit Union
- 2023.08.23 Precautionary Boil Water Advisory Remains in Effect for South Philips Highway, Nocatee Area, JEA Continues to Encourage All Customers to Conserve
- 2023.08.24 JEA Lifts Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for South Philips Highway, Nocatee Area
- 2023.08.28 JEA Prepares for Tropical Storm Idalia Encourages Customers to Be Ready
- 2023.08.30 JEA Responding to Customers Due to Hurricane Idalia
- 2023.11.15 JEA Receives Top Ranking in 2023 Business Satisfaction Survey by J.D. Power
- 2023.11.07 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Programs That Enhance the Community
- 2023.11.20 Juli Crawford Promoted to JEA Vice President, Enterprise Strategy & Planning
- 2023.11.28 JEA and UNF Advance Sustainable Solutions at Lab Opening
- History
- Real Estate Services
- Benefits of Public Utilities
- Letter from Managing Director and CEO
- Una carta de nuestro director ejecutivo
- Strategic Focus and Core Values
- Corporate Headquarters
- Community Impact
- Keeping Your Bill Affordable
- Home
- About
- Electric Systems
- Reliability
- Vegetation Management
- Tree Free Zones
Tree Free Zones in Jacksonville
On August 14, 2003, more than 50 million people in the Midwest and Northeast, and in parts of Canada, lost power. This historic blackout caused significant interruptions to commerce, communications, water/sewer services, transportation, and other critical services. The cause was distressingly simple: a tree growing too close to a transmission line.
Since then, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has required all electric utilities with transmission lines to develop, implement, and comply with something called a Transmission Vegetation Management Procedure.

The procedure requires the defined clearance from transmission lines take into consideration:
- Distance from the conductor to the ground
- Conductor Voltage
- Distance between structures
- Conductor sag at full load
- Conductor sway with the wind
- Tree height and growth rate
Maintaining a Low-Growing Ecosystem Around Transmission Lines
At JEA, once we have established a clear transmission right-of-way, we need to keep it clear of taller-growing trees and plants. Only plants, shrubs or trees whose height at maturity is 8 feet are allowed to grow in the Transmission rights-of-way.
Mowing and cutting alone is not enough because taller-growing vegetation will simply re-sprout. So, we inspect our rights-of-way several times a year in order to treat re-growth or other incompatible vegetation.
Our goal is not to remove or prevent all plant life from flourishing, but to develop and encourage low-growing vegetation similar to a meadow. This way, wildlife indigenous to our area such as birds, small mammals and reptiles can prosper in a field-like habitat.
Contact JEA's Arborists and Foresters
Explore Solutions and Save
Learn about all the ways JEA helps Northeast Florida families, businesses and our community thrive and how we can help you do more.
Related Links
-
Conserve Energy by Planting Trees
Planting the right tree in the right place is one of the best ways to minimize tree trimming in your neighborhood. You’ll also provide trouble-free beauty for years to come, reduce fire hazards, increase your property value and help beautify the community.
-
Call Before You Dig
Florida law requires anyone digging for landscaping or construction, whether you’re planning to dig yourself or hiring a professional, to call 811 before digging.
-
Tree Damage and Debris Removal
JEA makes a continual effort to limit potential damage to power lines from trees with our routine tree maintenance plan. We hire professional trimming contractors who use proper arboricultural pruning methods to keep the tree growth within acceptable limits.