Let’s Get Back to the Basics at JTA

[fsu813]

If the training is already required, it means the new order is performative CYA, not substantive change.

I believe the idea is to add financial training, which would be new.

The defense of NAVI by Deegan as recently as Decemeber 2025, long after concerns had been raised for years and real results were coming in, is absolutely indefensible. Just because many other stakeholders fell for the same BS doesn't make it otherwise. Giving her a pass because we like her reinforces the same governance weaknesses that have held Jacksonville back since consolidation.

In other words, virtually everyone in leadership over the years held the same (misguided) view on the program, but you're singling out one person for holding that view.

That's odd.

She deserves no less and no more criticism and accountability than anyone else in various leadership roles that could have raised a red flag over the years. Let's start by naming all the different JTA city council liaisons since 2021...or the mayor when this idea was created and blessed...... or, or, or.

Bottom line is Ford and his senior staff are the most to blame, then the past boards, then go down the list.

[blizz01]

How are they not flipping their sh!t in Dallas?

[Charles Hunter]

If the training is already required, it means the new order is performative CYA, not substantive change.

I believe the idea is to add financial training, which would be new.

That's the way I understand the new XO. The "ethics training" that all elected and appointed officials - including citizen advisory gruops like the TPO Citizens Advisory Committee and the CPACs - is mostly about the Sunshine Law. Having been on a couple-ish of these, there is no financial training, so this will be a necessary addition.

[jaxlongtimer]

Start the PR campaign now! Lol... been calling this for years now. She's cooked if this comes out fully. How do you turn a blind eye to this?

well JTA is an independent authority

That the mayor has exercised her board appointment power on to remove a NAVI skeptic. She has also publicly supported NAVI. She might not have the power to kill NAVI single-handedly, but she hasn't exercised good judgment within her area of influence either.

Deegan was on First Coast Connect today and addressed this issue head-on.  She claimed that she met with the dismissed board member, walked through each and every one of her concerns and had every one of them investigated by staff, ethics attorneys, etc. and all were cleared out satisfactorily with appropriate responses. 

She also claimed that the dismissed board member testified to the City Council and they also investigated her claims and came to a similar conclusion.

Now, if JTA was misleading those who asked, that's on JTA.  Maybe City Hall was too trusting of JTA management to not press harder but, as I said before, it looks like Ford successfully convinced most everyone to think he was on top of the transit world.

Deegan added, regardless, that none of the concerns raised related to the impending budget deficit.

Finally, she said the replacement was to install her own appointee that she said had "transportation experience" on the JTA board, thinking that the timing was right.  If I heard right, it appears that one of the three Mayoral appointees may also be a holdover from Curry's time.

[jaxoNOLE]

If the training is already required, it means the new order is performative CYA, not substantive change.

I believe the idea is to add financial training, which would be new.

That's the way I understand the new XO. The "ethics training" that all elected and appointed officials - including citizen advisory gruops like the TPO Citizens Advisory Committee and the CPACs - is mostly about the Sunshine Law. Having been on a couple-ish of these, there is no financial training, so this will be a necessary addition.

Coming from private industry where most firms learned this lesson in the Enron era, this is disturbing--but better late than never to see it getting fixed.

[jaxoNOLE]

If the training is already required, it means the new order is performative CYA, not substantive change.

I believe the idea is to add financial training, which would be new.

The defense of NAVI by Deegan as recently as Decemeber 2025, long after concerns had been raised for years and real results were coming in, is absolutely indefensible. Just because many other stakeholders fell for the same BS doesn't make it otherwise. Giving her a pass because we like her reinforces the same governance weaknesses that have held Jacksonville back since consolidation.

In other words, virtually everyone in leadership over the years held the same (misguided) view on the program, but you're singling out one person for holding that view.

That's odd.

She deserves no less and no more criticism and accountability than anyone else in various leadership roles that could have raised a red flag over the years. Let's start by naming all the different JTA city council liaisons since 2021...or the mayor when this idea was created and blessed...... or, or, or.

Bottom line is Ford and his senior staff are the most to blame, then the past boards, then go down the list.

I agree that the failures were broad and extensive, and I don't hold Deegan singularly responsible. But none of the other stakeholders are being defended here the way Deegan is, which is what I'm responding to. You yourself dismissed the AG investigation out of hand as being a fishing expedition to castigate Deegan -- not Ford, not the JTA board, not council. I'd love to see every complicit stakeholder held accountable from JTA to FDOT, but it's nonsense to quash or dismiss an investigation because it's only investigating *some* responsible stakeholders.

I'm far from the only person on this forum to express concern over the past few years about the effect Deegan's silence, and then endorsement, of NAVI could have on her legacy and reelection prospects. What IS unique about Deegan is that it seems to be an uncharacteristic blind spot in an otherwise strong and bipartisan record. I expect to be disappointed by council at this point.

[jaxlongtimer]

How are they not flipping their sh!t in Dallas?

Dallas media waking up to Ford's Jax legacy tonight:

Incoming DART CEO under criminal investigation over spending at previous job

DALLAS - Incoming Dallas Area Rapid Transit CEO Nathaniel Ford is in hot water as he leaves his former role in Jacksonville, Florida.

State officials there launched a criminal investigation into spending habits while he served as the head of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

JTA faces shortfall amid spending probe
What we know:
The Florida Attorney General's Office has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into JTA, which is facing a $39 million budget shortfall.

The investigation focuses on spending that occurred under Ford's leadership, including expenses for massages, murals, hotel stays, and tuition reimbursements.

The AG's office is also reviewing JTA's tuition reimbursement policy to determine why highly paid executives received public funds for education, a practice which could violate IRS codes.

Florida's AG has requested all text messages and emails between Ford, his wife, and consultant Kenston Griffin sent between October 2023 and March 2025. Subpoenas issued in the probe name Ford, as well as Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.

By the numbers:
According to records uncovered by former JTA board member Megan Hayward, JTA executive spending included:

$4,264.51 for a hotel in London for the CEO
$1,606.50 for a hotel in Madrid for the CEO
$9,000 for a hotel in Valencia for two executives
$171,000 in total for hotel stays over approximately 18 months
FOX 4 also previously reported on investigations into Ford's travel expenses in Jacksonville that included a nearly $10,000 trip to Spain.

Shortfall impact on transit riders
What we know:
JTA has been forced to take drastic measures to address its $39 million deficit. The authority recently eliminated 194 positions and slashed bus routes to make it through the fiscal year.

What they're saying:
Hayward, who owns the temporary staffing software company TempGuru, said she was appointed to the JTA board by the mayor and then removed after she started asking difficult questions about how money was being spent.

"My speculation would be that the questions I was asking were very inconvenient for the people at the authority and for the mayor," she said. "The first red flag I saw was regarding ridership numbers not adding up."

She expressed concern over the impact the cuts will have on daily commuters and small businesses.

"The people at the bottom of this transportation totem pole are paying for all of the money that was spent somewhere by the executive team, by the authority as a whole. I couldn't tell you exactly where $39 million went, but I can tell you that the people paying the price for it are the people who need the most help," Hayward said.

Ford's move to North Texas
The other side:
Ford is still preparing to step into his new position at DART at the end of this month.

FOX 4 reached out to him for a response to the Florida Attorney General's investigation, but he has not yet returned those calls.

DART's board chair also didn't respond to questions about whether the board will reconsider its hiring decision.

What's next:
JTA has until Oct. 20 to produce the records related to the investigation, according to the subpoena.

Ford is expected to start at DART one week later.

https://www.fox4news.com/news/incoming-dart-ceo-under-criminal-investigation-over-spending-previous-job

This article is behind a paywall, but the headline was just posted on the Dallas News:

Incoming DART CEO Nathaniel Ford named in Florida subpoena over Jacksonville transit spending

[jaxlongtimer]

I agree that the failures were broad and extensive, and I don't hold Deegan singularly responsible. But none of the other stakeholders are being defended here the way Deegan is, which is what I'm responding to. You yourself dismissed the AG investigation out of hand as being a fishing expedition to castigate Deegan -- not Ford, not the JTA board, not council. I'd love to see every complicit stakeholder held accountable from JTA to FDOT, but it's nonsense to quash or dismiss an investigation because it's only investigating *some* responsible stakeholders.

I'm far from the only person on this forum to express concern over the past few years about the effect Deegan's silence, and then endorsement, of NAVI could have on her legacy and reelection prospects. What IS unique about Deegan is that it seems to be an uncharacteristic blind spot in an otherwise strong and bipartisan record. I expect to be disappointed by council at this point.

Front and center, the JTA Board is where the buck should really stop here.  It is the JTA Board's singular and fiduciary responsibility to oversight JTA management, its financials and its operations.  That they totally abrogated their responsibilities should lead the governor and mayor to do a clean sweep of the board, just as what mostly happened at JEA following its scandal.  Until then, the JTA board will have near zero credibility with the public.

Every other party is ancillary/secondary to the JTA Board.  I am not giving a free pass to anyone but if the JTA Board was rubber stamping/snookered by JTA management, it is hard to expect others more remote from the JTA Board's role to not also fall into the same rut.  It is not unreasonable, Jaxson posters aside, for non-JTA persons to "trust" in the supposed professionalism of JTA's alleged transit experts and its board overseers.

Deegan, the City Council, State legislators... If JTA, FDOT, the Feds, JTA's Board, JTA's auditors, JTA management and employees did not raise questions publicly, with all the other moving parts in government competing for attention, it is not surprising that JTA was getting a free pass, especially having a politically savvy CEO.

Now, I must say, as a reader of the Jaxson and lifelong resident of Jacksonville having witnessed the Skyway and other City boondoggles, if I was on the public front lines, I would have been screaming from the roof tops that things did not look kosher in the JTA shop.  But, most people in Jax today don't have my experiences that lead to much of my cynicism about Jacksonville "dream" projects.  Just as few project renderings come to life here, so do few Jacksonville "go for the gold" projects play out anywhere close to the optimistic presentations by their promoters.

[jaxoNOLE]

^This is a great summation. Had the system worked as intended, JTA's board would have stopped the madness. Barring that, the governor and mayor would have backstopped by replacing ineffectual board members while Council and FDOT carefully reviewed matters of funding.

None of these oversight mechanisms worked as intended, and the Feds chipped in a few million for good measure.

What continues to kill me is that during LOGT debates--before Deegan even stepped foot in office--the second-most prevalent objection to the tax (after the general anti-tax objection) was against the U2C. Across multiple public forums I attended and listened to, many objections to that line item were raised. Council acknowledged as much. From that point forward, *nobody* in the chain of accountability can plead ignorance to the catastrophe that would become NAVI. Granted, there are issues beyond NAVI -- but it's such a large line item that absent its existence, we may not have a deficit at all.

[Jax_Developer]

This forum will find the excuses for sure & Jacksonville will continue to suffer from the same level of corruption that Donna ran against. To argue she is not responsible after what was actually spent during her term is astounding. She knew Day 1 the Clown Cars were a bad idea, but decided it was worth the political baggage to protect JTA & Nat Ford (fact). She attended every possible BS press event, got on podcasts to tell us how she had it all figured out & we were just a bunch of dummies.

Even til this day is defending Holon's plant & acting like Ford was a visionary? I love this whole "yeah so this board member only brought up ridership & tuition concerns..." so lets remove her & replace her with my BFF. ABSURD - newsflash - you don't uncover the entire fraud all at once.

I can't wait for people to reply to this telling me "oh the state should have done something" lol... They were probably getting a good laugh out of it until it got serious.. you know because most local communities don't have to bicker over in your face fraud. Most just accept it or actually have a backbone against it.

[Ken_FSU]

This forum will find the excuses for sure & Jacksonville will continue to suffer from the same level of corruption that Donna ran against. To argue she is not responsible after what was actually spent during her term is astounding. She knew Day 1 the Clown Cars were a bad idea, but decided it was worth the political baggage to protect JTA & Nat Ford (fact). She attended every possible BS press event, got on podcasts to tell us how she had it all figured out & we were just a bunch of dummies.

It's definitely an interesting discussion. I think it's totally fair to acknowledge that she has legitimate egg all over her face for so vocally supporting U2C since taking office. Many people here, myself included, have said since the first day that she took office that she was leaving herself exposed in the next election by championing something so obviously reckless.

That said, I think it's also fair to not hold her personally responsible for the U2C boondoggle. It was a project that she inherited, that the Feds had already written a fat check for BUILD grants for, that City Council had already appropriated $250 million in local option gas tax dollars for, and that Holon had already pretended to be moving a $100 million factory into Jacksonville for because of.

What good does it do Jacksonville for a mayor to shit on a project that's already committed, and that we're already indebted to the Feds for? And what power does she realistically have to stop it? She can't overturn City Council unilaterally. Her two board members can't override the others.

She's clearly doing something very right in Jacksonville, given her approval rating, and given the fact that she's yet to get obliterated on a Tuesday, put on a backyards hat, drop in at Kona, and then threaten to fist-fight a Council Member on Twitter.

Deegan and her team secured the Jags for another 30 years. Executed a historic CBA agreement. Brought the riverfront parks across the finish line after parks like Friendship Fountain sat crumbling for a half-decade. Made meaningful progress in septic tank phaseout and long-overdue infrastructure projects. Meaningfully expanded access to healthcare and affordable housing. Public transportation and JTA overhaul wasn't a platform that she ran on, and I'm more than willing to give her grace that she can't unilaterally become a transportation expert and fix everything wrong with this city in ~3 years. Nat Ford clearly had EVERYONE bamboozled with his admittedly impressive resume and pied piper bullshit.

That said, she should have known better - or someone on her team should have known better - than to repeatedly dismiss NAVI doubters and to baselessly push the narrative that the NAVI was primed for success. Those clips will surely come back to haunt her come election season.

[Jax_Developer]

^ If I'm a new Mayor entering office with a huge campaign push on getting rid of the "good ole boy network" & there is a glaring project that has significant ties to a "good ole boy network," I would be speaking publicly, looking at my board appointments, and seeing what I can do to change course.

I would not be:

1). publicly endorsing the project in a very aggressive manner (you almost never saw Curry with JTA)
2). replacing my own board appointment while two legacy appointments (with ties) continue to sit on the board & let the agency implode
3). still endorsing the project, or at the very least, aspects of the project
4). calling the guy who got the agency into this mess & in a $30M hole a visionary
5). setting up a 'Board Member' Training... 

You can not be the creator of something and still be guilty as hell for supporting it. Those are not mutually exclusive. Also, the State isn't some omnipotent being that acts with instant will. The idea that the state would muster enough political pressure to do something 'quickly' is a false argument. That's just not how this works. In fact the Mayors support likely prevented state intervention to a large degree. There were very few board seat issues with JTA until 2023, which also correlates with the increased spending & actual big bucket expenses on the NAVI Program. All of these things correlate a little too perfectly.

[Ken_FSU]

^ If I'm a new Mayor entering office with a huge campaign push on getting rid of the "good ole boy network" & there is a glaring project that has significant ties to a "good ole boy network," I would be speaking publicly.

What's the connection? Genuinely curious.

I've always viewed NAVI as less a traditional Jacksonville old-boy get rich scheme, and more a harebrained personal prestige project hatched and pushed forward almost unilaterally by Nat Ford (a Jacksonville transplant) to pad his resume. To me, it's less a classic Jacksonville story of cronyism and conspiracy, and more a story of hubris, refusal to backtrack when the writing on the wall became clear, and possible falsification of evidence to avoid looking like a moron before fleeing the city.

[Jax_Developer]

^ If I'm a new Mayor entering office with a huge campaign push on getting rid of the "good ole boy network" & there is a glaring project that has significant ties to a "good ole boy network," I would be speaking publicly.

What's the connection? Genuinely curious.

I've always viewed NAVI as less a traditional Jacksonville old-boy get rich scheme, and more a harebrained personal prestige project hatched and pushed forward almost unilaterally by Nat Ford (a Jacksonville transplant) to pad his resume. To me, it's less a classic Jacksonville story of cronyism and conspiracy, and more a story of hubris, refusal to backtrack when the writing on the wall became clear, and possible falsification of evidence to avoid looking like a moron before fleeing the city.

Look at the locally appointed board members & where their interests lie. Then look at JU.

[jaxlongtimer]

Deegan falling for NAVI reminds me of John Peyton getting snookered by the Chief Judge over the courthouse project.  It seems that, especially, first term mayors try to tread carefully regarding existing major projects that fall into their laps and to avoid conflicts with colleagues leading government entities.  They want/need to pick and choose their battles in an attempt to build political capital.  If Deegan thought Ford had support from the Council, Chamber and other community leaders, even if having doubts about NAVI, she may have chosen to play along to attain wins on other issues she cared more about or felt were more her responsibility to deliver on.  Given the heck she gets from the partisans on the City Council, this strategy may have been even more important. 

To add, none of this excuses any mayor from making a bad decision but, given they make thousands of decisions during their terms in office, a few are likely to not hold water over time.

Adjusted for inflation, the courthouse fiasco was at least as big of a mess in dollar terms as NAVI.  Yet, Peyton was reelected for a second term and most people in Jacksonville today likely have no memory or knowledge of the messiness of it all back in the day.

Politicians regularly benefit from the voting public not paying attention, not understanding, being confused, not well informed, having memory issues, being forgiving, not caring, etc. all the time.  I expect Deegan will benefit as well on this issue.

Agree or not, it also helps when one can point fingers at others or muddy the waters around an issue.  I think we have that here.

For now, I think we need to focus on JTA, its management and board.  As I noted before, that's where the real accountability begins.