Decided to log in to today's JTA board meeting. What a doozy.
After a discussion of several alternatives, and concerns by board members over the likelihood of reduced sales tax revenue and higher fuel costs in the coming year, the board approved a Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget with major cuts in an effort to close a $17.5 million funding gap.
To achieve this, JTA will:
- Reduce frequencies on all First Coast Flyer lines as well as Routes 1, 3, and 19 to every 25 minutes.
- Reduce frequencies on Routes 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 50, and 53 to every hour.
- Eliminate Routes 23, 25, 80, 82, and 202 entirely.
- Reduce frequencies on NAVI to every 12 minutes.
- Start running the Skyway later in the morning and end service sooner in the evening, to match NAVI.
- Start running the St. Johns River Ferry later in the morning and end service sooner in the evening.
- Convert portions of ReadiRide to Uber.
- Eliminate ReadiRide entirely in the Collins Road, Oakleaf, Southside, Wheat Road, and Woodstock zones.
- Increase Fixed Route fares to $2 and introduce $1 fares on NAVI, alongside increases elsewhere.
- Increase Connexion paratransit fares to $4 and TD fares to $4.50.
- Further administrative cuts to be determined later.
The service changes would take effect October 1st of this year, with the fare increases to follow in January 2027.
Breaks my heart that these changes will devastate quality of life for a portion of the population largely invisible to most. When the NAVI is preserved but entire bus routes are eliminated, mass transit headways are increased significantly, and hours are slashed for key people movers, it's clear that JTA leadership is more concerned with their own fragile egos and stubbornness than they are with serving the population that depends on them.
Could a vote of City Council redirect sales tax money from U2C/NAVI to actual bus service?
I compared the current JTA bus schedules to the announced cuts. With a few exceptions, JTA is going to hourly headways (time between bus arrivals) throughout their system. This, and the significant fare increase (from $1 to $2) will accelerate the ridership decline. This is what's known as a 'death spiral' in the transit industry.
The routes going to 25 minutes serve North Main, FSCJ-North, Moncrief, Soutel, Dunn Ave., Imeson Industrial Park, Arlington/Regency, with current headways ranging from 15 to 30 minutes.
The routes going to 60 minutes serve Kings Ave., Edward Water University, AP Randolph/Eastside, Myrtle/Lem Turner, Normandy, and a Crosstown Route the length of University Blvd. with current 30 minute headways
The eliminated routes include one crosstown route: Townsend/Southside, from Arlington to Baymeadows/Avenues Walk. A route serving San Marco, San Jose, University Blvd, and Spring Park - both hourly services. And three peak-only services: NAS-JAX, Amazon, and Mayport
Sixteen routes, throughout Jacksonville are unchanged. one (Dinsmore) is a peak-only service, three are Crosstown (Mayport Village/Jax Beach-JTB), Edgewood/Cleveland to FSCJ-Kent, and San Jose/Crown Point to the Town Center. Most currently have 60 minute headways, with exceptions for service between downtown and the Town Center (20 min), and a route serving Commonwealth/Lane (30 peak / 60 other) and one serving Beaver, Cassat, 103rd (30 min)
Sucks to see and I agree with Charles about the death spiral. The correct first move should be taking a bigger ax to NAVI and taking care of the higher ridership routes and services.
Almost one half of the deficit is being burned annually having multiple drivers circle DT slowly in empty NAVI vans. If no one is riding them now, charging a $1 isn't going to generate anything to plug that budget gap. Whack it to reduce the burden on transit riders citywide.
Let's see... the riderless Navi will run every 12 minutes while buses that actually transport people will ride every 25 to 60 minutes. Add, if someone has to transfer buses to cross town, it could easily take up to 2 hours!
Time to call Uber. And, when it goes autonomous using Waymo, JTA in its current iteration will be totally worthless. Yes, it is in a death spiral and we can thank the money draining riderless Navi and near-riderless Skyway loyalties for all of it.
I might add that I doubt that those who use the Skyway or Navi are wholly dependent on those modes. They likely have cars and took those modes instead of walking or parking closer to their destinations. In all probability, most bus riders don't have any good alternatives to riding buses. As such, we are favoring those who have cars over those who don't. This is not what public transit should be prioritizing.
The JTA rubber-stamp board is clueless and has their head in the sand. They need to revisit what JTA's mission is as this is a ship afloat with no real purpose than keeping JTA staffers employed.
More detail on the cuts at the Daily Record:
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/may/28/jta-cutting-services-increasing-fares-to-make-up-for-projected-budget-deficit/
My read from watching the meeting is that everyone involved, from the Board to Council Liaison Johnson, is far too impressed by the very unimpressive NAVI to take the work they're doing in JTA's oversight seriously. And now we've arrived at the point in which everyday Jaxsons are going to suffer for it. It simply should not matter that however many junkets are coming by to gawk at the thing, because "how many junkets gawk at your transit line" is not a real or useful measure of success for mass transit.
I think it says something deeply pitiful that the First Coast Flyer, our $140 million Bus Rapid Transit system, after more than a decade and a half of development and construction, experienced perhaps a year of operating to its full design (with all lines open at their intended frequencies) before being reduced to truly just differently numbered bus routes again. It ought to be an absolute embarrassment for all involved, but again, their focus is clearly elsewhere.
From the article
QuoteBetween the service cuts and fare increases, JTA still expects a $2.31 million deficit. The authority told board members it would seek to cut $2.3 million in expenses with administrative reductions.
Will that include keeping Mr. Ford in his office on Bay Street?
JTA appears to have announced that some of these service cuts will actually begin next week, on Monday, June 15th:
https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/service-alerts/service-adjustments-june-15-2026/
This seems to at least include reducing First Coast Flyer frequencies to every 20 minutes, among other changes.
Nat Ford will resign.
Many errors in the last few years, good time for him to step away. Hopefully JTA can get back to focusing on doing the basics well.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/07/03/jta-ceo-says-he-will-resign-after-over-a-decade-of-service/
A long time coming.
This puts a successor in a difficult position, who will arrive just as major service cuts and fare increases are taking hold while needing to figure out a new direction for the agency, as suburban counties hold more influence without much transit service or funding commitment.
Knew this day would eventually come and it had to happen for Jax and JTA to reset in order to move forward.
ActionNews' coverage https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/jta-ceo-nathaniel-ford-step-down-after-more-than-13-years/UGZPFUAFRJHNJFFIJAAFXUYSSI/
QuoteCouncilman Jimmy Peluso:
"I'm grateful to Nat Ford's years of service to the City. As he embarks on a new journey, let's endeavor to look at JTA with new eyes. Our bus system, paratransit and proven mass transit systems should all be reviewed moving forward. Perhaps now is the time to seriously consider light rail and commuter rail as a way to move this region's residents from one part of town to the other."
No surprise as predicted on the Jaxson many times 8) . Possibly "resigning" before being pushed out? Only question is why so long to happen? Probably lucky that he had compliant, ineffective, rubber stamping boards all these years. Even so, storm clouds were gathering.
He is jumping off a fast sinking ship. Poor service metrics and reductions matched with rising fares, in financial straits, U2C becoming a failing project, controversy over salaries and spending, flubbed the $147 million Fed money for the Emerald Trail, Skyway boondoggle not resolved, etc.
Hope Deegan, City Council and others feeling obligated to Ford can now feel free to help take the air out of U2C and redouble stricter focus on its real mission to provide quality mass transit including more robust bus service and planning for rail transits. Can maybe balance JTA's books sooner by doing so.
This is basically the equivalent of Doug Pederson resigning from the Jags. Hopefully, JTA kind find an actual talented leader take over.
JTA to hold community meetings and a public hearing on the fare increases / service cuts:
https://jtafla.com/about-us/public-hearings-and-notices/
Upcoming Community Meetings:
• Tuesday, July 14 - 4 PM - Gulliford Community Center, Mayport
• Thursday, July 16 - 5 PM - Webb Wesconnett Library 103rd Street
• Tuesday, July 21 - 5 PM - JRTC Bay Street
• Wednesday, July 22 - 4 PM - Highlands Library Dunn Ave
• Thursday, July 23 - 5 PM - Pablo Creek Library Beach Blvd.
Public Hearing:
• Tuesday, July 28 - 5 PM - JRTC
Then the Board meeting is Wednesday, July 29, at 3 PM, in the JRTC
Nat Ford's next stop appears to be Dallas, Texas.
Local news there announced that he is one of three finalists to be the next CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dart-names-finalists-vacant-ceo-position
Sounds like a perfect placeforhim
Quote from: marcuscnelson on July 10, 2026, 07:39:33 PMNat Ford's next stop appears to be Dallas, Texas.
Local news there announced that he is one of three finalists to be the next CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dart-names-finalists-vacant-ceo-position
ESPN has announced the following trade:
Dallas receives: Nat Ford, NAVI, and the "potential" HOLON manufacturing facility
Jacksonville receives: DART Light Rail line
Quote from: marcuscnelson on July 10, 2026, 07:39:33 PMNat Ford's next stop appears to be Dallas, Texas.
Local news there announced that he is one of three finalists to be the next CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/dart-names-finalists-vacant-ceo-position
I went to Dallas DART's website where they offer the below description:
QuoteDallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides modern public transit services designed for fast, comfortable, and economical travel. The agency operates light rail, Trinity Railway Express, regional rail, bus routes, GoLink on-demand service, and paratransit, moving more than 171,000 passengers daily across a 700-square-mile, 12-city region including Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Irving, Richardson, Rowlett, Plano, and University Park.
https://www.dart.org/about/about-dart/about-dart
Not one mention of AV's (Waymo is operating in Dallas so maybe that common sense approach prevailed unlike Jax) and lots of mentions of rail services. Seems Ford would not be a good match given his track record in Jacksonville. It looks like the last CEO resigned due to "political interference." Maybe navigating that makes Ford more attractive given his ability to sell U2C snake oil to Jax officials.
I note that one of the 3 finalists was a past EVP of Dallas DART and the other is CEO of a regional transportation authority in Ohio. Will be interesting to see who wins the job.
Interesting to compare DART's description to JTA under Ford:
QuoteThe Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida, and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services and builds roads, bridges, and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI), paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties.
QuoteWe are at the forefront of shaping the future of mobility in Northeast Florida. The team is committed to driving innovation through our comprehensive transit solutions. Our strategic goals focus on improved mobility, and efficiency.
One still sees themselves as primarily a public transit agency, the other is obsessed with "mobility" and "innovation". Yet who is more integral to their region? Who is actually getting more people anywhere?
Just finished listening to DART's board meeting. It appears there was some controversy involved in their CEO search, with one candidate apparently potentially withdrawing before ultimately committing to the process, on the same day they announced their resignation from another transit agency. Some board members expressed concern about this candidate's previous departures from other agencies being of controversy.
Nonetheless, it appears that by a vote of 9-6, Nat Ford has emerged as the finalist to serve as the next President & CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. An additional 11-4 vote launched the beginning of negotiations for an employment agreement with Ford.
I am sure Nat has a lot of redeeming characteristics and expertise, but I just really can't forgive how much wasted time and money has gone into U2C. Nat got here in 2012. Over the last 14 years, think of how much more expensive things like First Coast Commuter Rail, Bringing Amtrak back downtown, Light Rail, a true fix for the Skyway vehicles/systems have become.
If we are ever to have something resembling a "transit oriented" pocket of any part of our city, we will be looking at insane prices compared to what we could have spent pre-pandemic. It hurts a lot when I think of First Coast Commuter Rail, which I think is a great project.
Interesting article that was just shared with me looking at Ford's possible next stop, including an overview of his career in Jacksonville and elsewhere:
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2026/07/dart-ceo-search-nathaniel-ford/
Quote from: marcuscnelson on July 20, 2026, 09:44:46 PMInteresting article that was just shared with me looking at Ford's possible next stop, including an overview of his career in Jacksonville and elsewhere:
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2026/07/dart-ceo-search-nathaniel-ford/
I read this article and I took from it pretty much the attitude of most Jaxson posters. How does Ford keep his personal ship afloat? The DART 2 day rush to hire, his pull out before being back in, resigning JTA before having the job, the swirling concerns over expenses, absences from his office, JTA's finances, U2C... I don't get how DART's board approves him but then JEA's board hired totally inappropriate Aaron Zahn. Politics are lurking somewhere in Dallas, just like Jax. This is what gives government a black eye.
From the article
QuoteOn Saturday, all three candidates appeared at a public forum.
I hope Ford didn't expense his trip to Dallas to the JTA.
To echo
jaxlongtimer, the article's conclusion could have been written by someone from the Jaxson.
QuoteTo cities and state leaders who think of DART, and even fixed-route transit generally, as a relic of the 1980s, Ford is selling what they are buying: things like innovative vaporware solutions pitched as an easy way out of the very uneasy situation transit faces in the Dallas area. Political tradeoffs aren't anything new to DART, but the current situation demands a CEO who can manage political relationships without giving in to them and who serves riders instead of turning them into pawns to be sacrificed for headline-getting pet projects. We ought to have learned our lesson about what happens when you build transit for politicians over riders by now.
In the week since Tuesday's meeting, Ford's many scandals have started bubbling up into the Dallas press. The board will have been given a whole week since Tuesday to learn about their "Candidate A" when they meet again on July 21. It's possible he is up to the task; he will fit into the role smoothly and serve the agency well. However, DART's future requires walking carefully down a narrow path, and Ford's record is nothing but shaky.
Will be interesting to see if a week's marination has changed any minds on the DART board. Will they make a bullseye, or ... the something from the other end of the bull?
Can cats have more than 9 lives? Nat Ford seems to. Thanks Mayor Deegan for helping him move on... maybe he will leave before January now.
QuoteDallas transit agency hires JTA CEO Nat Ford as its leader
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board hired Nat Ford as its new CEO on a 9-4 vote, three weeks after the Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced Ford was resigning as head of JTA.
The DART board approved an employment agreement for Ford during a special meeting on July 21. Board members supporting him said they were convinced after hearing from Ford about "red flags" raised about his 13-year record in Jacksonville.
"We've had a chance to go through every one of them," board member Enrique MacGregor said during the board meeting.
He said because "some of this information is sensitive," he couldn't go into detail but they involved concerns about inappropriate spending, time in the office, transit service levels, ridership dropping and a "potential conflict of interest."...
...DART board Chair Randall Bryant said he contacted the current JTA board chair and two former JTA board chairs, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and a former mayor who he did not identify to get their assessments of Ford's 13-year tenure at JTA.
"And in all of those conversations, there was one constant message from these individuals — Nathaniel Ford made our region and our transit system better," Bryant said.
He said when he talked to Deegan, she said of Ford, "I hope Dallas is fortunate enough to get him."...
...During public comment at the start of the meeting, six residents urged the board to not hire Ford. Several said they do not want Ford to bring autonomous transit vehicles to Dallas as he has in Jacksonville, where the autonomous transit shuttles have suffered from meager ridership and high costs since they went into service a year ago.
One resident said DART should focus on improving bus and rail service and avoid "wasteful and expensive vanity projects" such as autonomous shuttles. Another resident said riders aren't interested in DART getting "pet projects" because they want "bread-and-butter bus and rail service."
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/07/21/jta-ceo-nat-ford-moving-on-to-lead-dallas-area-rapid-transit/90999224007/
DART's press release announcing Ford's hiring says he will start in Dallas on October 26.
https://www.dart.org/about/news-and-events/newsreleases/newsrelease-detail/nathaniel-p.-ford--sr.-named-dart-president---ceo
It is unclear where this will leave Jacksonville and JTA, or how Ford plans to simultaneously lead two transit agencies in cities 900 miles apart from then until January.
JTA's upcoming board meeting (https://www.jtafla.com/about-us/leadership/board-of-directors/jta-board-meetings/board-meeting-july-29-2026/) to potentially discuss these matters will be next Thursday, July 29th.
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/jul/21/its-official-jta-ceo-nat-ford-is-headed-to-texas/
Great Quote: "DART's board chair said he spoke to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, along with JTA board members. Chair Randall Bryant said Deegan told him that 'I hope Dallas is fortunate enough to get him.'"
Any else see the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode called, "Foisted"? If not, watch it.
Quote from: Steve on July 22, 2026, 08:24:18 AMhttps://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/jul/21/its-official-jta-ceo-nat-ford-is-headed-to-texas/
Great Quote: "DART's board chair said he spoke to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, along with JTA board members. Chair Randall Bryant said Deegan told him that 'I hope Dallas is fortunate enough to get him.'"
Any else see the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode called, "Foisted"? If not, watch it.
HAHAHA. I was drafting the post below and then saw your post before I posted it. Please anyone, feel free to keep riffing on the joke. So many options.
The DART Board Chair seeing the calendar invite for his 12th dinner in 2 months with Japanese and German Autonomous Companies:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQa8nus9xrXztpyNgZN6OGPxXu0M1pHSay87iaWqE_klow1Yz1_W9J27WY&s=10)
Well done Donna.