Metro Jacksonville

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CEO Nat Ford's departure is an opportunity to rethink what works and retire what doesn't.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/let-s-get-back-to-the-basics-at-jta/

Great stuff, Marcus! Hope it gets in front of the right folks.

Excellent analysis of what JTA needs to do.

Providing frequent and reliable service is the key to maintaining, and increasing, ridership. Keeping the fare reasonable is also important, but if the buses are an hour apart (like they will be on the majority of routes after the service cuts), and arrive to the bus stops later than the published schedule - or worse earlier than scheduled - it doesn't matter how low the fare is. There is a share of the community that has no other choice than transit, but you won't get "choice" riders, those who will leave their car at home, or a convenient parking lot, to ride the bus.

Having routes that go where people want to go is also important. Something that gets more difficult as the region (city) becomes more and more dispersed.

Oh, and JTA needs to stop lying to the people that the Flyer service is "Bus Rapid Transit." It is not. JTA had several "Express Flyer" routes as far back as the late 1970s/early 80s, that served park-and-ride lots (mostly in shopping centers), and provided limited stop service to downtown. The modern iteration seems to have better amenities at bus stops, and service isn't limited to the morning and evening peak hours. Otherwise, it runs in mixed traffic just like all the other bus routes.

Excellent overview of JTA today and going forward.

Charles, good points.

At the end of the article, the last heading mentioned "regional transit."  So, what monies does JTA get from the surrounding counties to extend bus or rail transit to them?  If not now, what could be going forward?  Especially, since the surrounding counties now have representation on JTA's board.

Just like master planning needed for Downtown, where is a master plan for the multi-county region?  Does the North Florida TPO have one?  Is it current? 

I will say, if JTA can't even run an adequate bus system in Duval County, I don't know how they could go beyond that.  Running a decent bus system should be pretty basic after about a 100 years or so of them being around.  As noted elsewhere, it comes down to a diversion of resources for U2C, the Skyway and, in prior decades, road building.  Buses have been relegated to the bottom of JTA's mission... only getting lip service.  Truly abominable for a MASS transit agency.

I would suggest the new JTA CEO fix the bus system out of the starting gate to build some credibility and get back on mission.  Abandon U2C immediately and deal with the Skyway options after buses are fixed given buses are needed much more than the Skyway.  Then, move on to various rail solutions which clearly will require regional partnerships and new funding sources.

One more point:  The JTA CEO needs to be tied at the hip with Downtown master planning.  MASS transit is key to a successful urban district but you would never know that in Jacksonville today.

Thanks for the kind words! Some notes on what's been said:

Quote from: Charles Hunter on July 23, 2026, 10:20:49 PMOh, and JTA needs to stop lying to the people that the Flyer service is "Bus Rapid Transit." It is not. JTA had several "Express Flyer" routes as far back as the late 1970s/early 80s, that served park-and-ride lots (mostly in shopping centers), and provided limited stop service to downtown. The modern iteration seems to have better amenities at bus stops, and service isn't limited to the morning and evening peak hours. Otherwise, it runs in mixed traffic just like all the other bus routes.

I think it gets harder to seriously claim that the Flyer is BRT when frequency is degraded, especially if it is meant to be the core of the transit system. It isn't unreasonable, given where Florida is from a transit standpoint, to consider those routes of that category (look at how PSTA's Spark service was forcibly downgraded from dedicated lanes like SunRunner to something much more akin to the Flyer, or how SunRunner itself has lost portions of dedicated lanes by state mandate), and I think certain platforms like the Transit App do a good job of discerning those core lines, but it should be paramount to show commitment to the $140 million investment made in building out that network.

I suspect it would be controversial but I'd prefer to see a push to move some local routes out of downtown (using Flyer lines at their promised frequencies to make those connections into the urban core) over degrading all of the routes at their current distributions or cutting certain routes outright. There might also be room to consider consolidating Flyer lines with their express versions to preserve overall frequencies.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on July 23, 2026, 11:53:05 PMAt the end of the article, the last heading mentioned "regional transit."  So, what monies does JTA get from the surrounding counties to extend bus or rail transit to them?  If not now, what could be going forward?  Especially, since the surrounding counties now have representation on JTA's board.

Just like master planning needed for Downtown, where is a master plan for the multi-county region?  Does the North Florida TPO have one?  Is it current? 

I will say, if JTA can't even run an adequate bus system in Duval County, I don't know how they could go beyond that.  Running a decent bus system should be pretty basic after about a 100 years or so of them being around.  As noted elsewhere, it comes down to a diversion of resources for U2C, the Skyway and, in prior decades, road building.  Buses have been relegated to the bottom of JTA's mission... only getting lip service.  Truly abominable for a MASS transit agency.

As I noted over the past year or so, it was a serious misstep on the state's part to automatically extend JTA board membership to the counties surrounding Jacksonville without requiring some sort of long-term financial commitment, akin to Duval County's sales tax for JTA or Pinellas County's property tax for PSTA. But what's done is done there. On the bright side, two out of three of those surrounding counties have already effectively surrendered responsibility for the most barebones transit service to JTA anyway, but obviously building a larger regional system will demand a larger commitment, especially if that might come in the form of much better bus services or even rail. The possibility that public services overall might be kneecapped by voters in November adds some complexity to that.

I don't anticipate being placed in a position to make those decisions on how service should operate in surrounding counties, but it's certainly worth keeping in mind that the Express Select system, barebones as it is, does exist, and finding ways to expand on that, or make reasonable extensions of routes that already near those areas, is a potential path forward. That will require some creativity on JTA and the county's part to make those services fast and useful, but it's certainly not impossible if the political desire is there, especially as regional growth and congestion continues.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on July 23, 2026, 11:53:05 PMI would suggest the new JTA CEO fix the bus system out of the starting gate to build some credibility and get back on mission.  Abandon U2C immediately and deal with the Skyway options after buses are fixed given buses are needed much more than the Skyway.  Then, move on to various rail solutions which clearly will require regional partnerships and new funding sources.

From what I'm presently aware of as to JTA's current condition, the first step is going to be figuring out what money exists right now to operate the bus system. The board's approved cuts are assuming that sales tax revenue will be low next year. Doing everything possible to encourage economic activity in Duval County will make a difference in what transit service is available. Things like pushing to finally allow redevelopment around transit stations without careful hand-holding by JTA will matter because sales taxes from purchases made in service of that can be reinvested into better transit.

As I discuss in the editorial, using available bonding authority for approved LOGT projects to make bus service more efficient as soon as possible will also be key. Every possible avenue to push for things like reducing dwell times or consolidating stops or getting buses through intersections faster can make a difference for what every dollar is buying in service.

Similarly, U2C's future is ultimately a question of how the money available to JTA can be stretched to both wind down that program (assuming that course of action is agreed upon) to the extent desired and (provided Council approval if that is needed) make the key investments in fixing the Skyway and planning for its longer-term future happen as soon as possible. I've said before that I think there is promise in the underlying technology for transit purposes, in the right regional context that genuinely enhances mobility, but the philosophy beneath the specific form U2C has taken has clearly proven undesirable and unnecessary in the broader transportation environment, and we should not throw good money after bad if we can help it. If that's agreed upon, then getting Beatty-Beep out of their contract, finding good adaptive reuses for the AIC and other assets, and moving forward with solutions that work at scale should be a clear Year One objective for JTA's future leadership.

On a broader note, as I point out early in this piece and have said to others, I don't want this to be about dancing on graves. In his long tenure, Nat Ford had some real accomplishments. The Flyer existing at all, the JRTC coming to life in a more reasonable form than earlier concepts, LOGT expanding and giving the next CEO some options as to future plans. These are genuine victories for mass transit on the First Coast. The places where Ford fell short are serious, and in my opinion grave errors in judgment, but that does not invalidate the good things he's done, and given the grace he's been allowed by our leaders, ultimately can't be an excuse to not do better in the future. This piece is about laying out the things future JTA leadership needs to be thinking about for the greatest chance of success, and hopefully nudging whoever that will be in the right direction to make those things happen.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on July 23, 2026, 11:53:05 PMExcellent overview of JTA today and going forward.

Charles, good points.

At the end of the article, the last heading mentioned "regional transit."  So, what monies does JTA get from the surrounding counties to extend bus or rail transit to them?  If not now, what could be going forward?  Especially, since the surrounding counties now have representation on JTA's board.

Just like master planning needed for Downtown, where is a master plan for the multi-county region? Does the North Florida TPO have one?  Is it current? 

...

One more point:  The JTA CEO needs to be tied at the hip with Downtown master planning.  MASS transit is key to a successful urban district but you would never know that in Jacksonville today.

Yes, the North Florida TPO does have a regional transportation plan - cleverly called the Long Range Transportation Plan, or, since government can't operate without acronyms: LRTP (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d59e12e6f4aa4442ae1fe4e5faee756d). The horizon year is 2050, it was adopted in November 2024, and is updated every five years. With the next update due by November 2029, the NFTPO will probably start working on it in the second half of next year.

When developing the Long Range Plan, the NFTPO typically takes the plans of the JTA (and JAA and JaxPort) and inserts them into the LRTP as-is.

On your last point - coordination with downtown master planning - a huge YES. Of course, the first step is for there to be downtown master planning. Historically, this has always been a problem. Back in the 1970s, when JTA was developing a downtown bus circulator system with parking lots on the fringes of downtown - the Downtown Development Authority (precursor to the DIA) and City were permitting and building parking garages in the core.

Quote from: marcusnelsonI suspect it would be controversial but I'd prefer to see a push to move some local routes out of downtown (using Flyer lines at their promised frequencies to make those connections into the urban core) over degrading all of the routes at their current distributions or cutting certain routes outright. There might also be room to consider consolidating Flyer lines with their express versions to preserve overall frequencies.

The original concept of the Skyway was to intercept cars with parking garages, and transfer bus passengers at the end stations, to reduce the numbers of cars and buses in the core. This would have allowed improved frequencies on the bus routes, since they wouldn't be spending time traveling at 5 - 10 mph in the core (or allow providing the same service with fewer buses - and drivers).

^ Right, and while the Skyway might not necessarily achieve all of that as-is right now (on this note, it appears JTA is running the Southbank Line of the Skyway as a bus bridge (https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/service-alerts/modified-skyway-service/) right now), I think it's possible to find ways to maintain frequencies by reducing the amount of crossover on routes.

For example, the First Coast Flyer's Red Line crosses the Mathews Bridge to reach Arlington, but so does Route 10, which per the 10's schedule takes twenty minutes between Rosa Parks and Regency! It might be worth examining the feasibility of truncating Route 10 at Regency Square so that it can provide higher frequency service between there and the Beaches, while riders can transfer to the Flyer to reach Downtown and beyond. Maybe they don't trust themselves to reliably support those connections, or riders feel like they'll risk a missed trip and ruin their travel, but those are problems that be solved with operational discipline and (where possible) improved infrastructure.

^ What the transit industry calls "forced transfers" can work if the agency does everything right. This includes (in no particular order, using the marcusnelson example, but they are general princples)
1. No fare penalty for having to change vehicles. If it currently costs $2.00 to make the trip to downtown on the #10 route, it should still cost $2.00 if the passenger is required to change buses at Regency.
2.  Schedule design and schedule adherence become much more important. (In the morning) You don't want the #10 bus arriving at Regency just after the Flyer bus has already left for downtown. It isn't as critical if the Flyer has very short headway (time between buses), but if the wait is more than 10 minutes, people get antsy. Assuming the #10 route runs less frequently than the Flyer, it would likely be scheduled to arrive at Regency shortly before the Flyer arrives, wait at the station ("dwell"), and not leave until after the Flyer arrives, so passengers can transfer from one bus to the other. [bus nerd alert] The best way to do this to facilitate low-wait-time transfers, is to have the feeder route (#10) headways a multiple of the trunk route (Flyer) headway. If the Flyer has 10 minutes between buses, the #10 could be scheduled every 20 or 30 minutes.

It's not rocket science ... it's Bus Science!

Good stuff Marcus.

I'll put a motion on the floor for the new JTA Director to bring Marcus in for a public policy/public affairs type role...assuming he would be open to it.

More JTA executives are heading for the exits. Chief Administrative Officer Cleveland Ferguson is a finalist for the top job at MARTA in Atlanta, to be decided this Thursday.

https://itsmarta.com/board-conducts-final-interviews.aspx

If I recall, the captain of the Titantic went down with the ship. That's definitely not whats happening with JTA.

Head for the obvious iceberg, eating steak and shrimp while ignoring the warnings.

Hit it head on, take the couple of available lifeboat and leave the passengers (Jax taxpayers) to sink with the rust bucket they assembled.

Not surprised though. This was predicted years ago.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on August 11, 2026, 02:27:47 PMMore JTA executives are heading for the exits. Chief Administrative Officer Cleveland Ferguson is a finalist for the top job at MARTA in Atlanta, to be decided this Thursday.

https://itsmarta.com/board-conducts-final-interviews.aspx

I don't understand why any "mass transit" executive would not want to lead the world-beating GOAT AV transit project, NAVI/U2C.  These guys are crazy to leave this one-of-a-kind opportunity to rise to the pinnacle of their profession.  Shocking!

Honestly, I worry that Deegan should have been more forceful about this whole situation earlier on. Yes, you can say that JEA is an independent authority, but you can say the same about JEA.

I think the JEA fiasco contributed to Daniel Davis' loss to Deegan since it was the same group behind both Curry and Davis. Now granted, Curry was WAY more in the weeds of JEA then Deegan is at JTA, but it's oddly similar.

I hope this doesn't happen as I do think Deegan is doing a good job overall (no leader is perfect), but it's oddly similar.

Side note - if you're Dallas or Atlanta, two cities with significantly larger transit systems featuring legit rail transit, what pat of looking to a leader at JEA is appealing to you?

Quote from: Steve on August 12, 2026, 08:28:21 AMSide note - if you're Dallas or Atlanta, two cities with significantly larger transit systems featuring legit rail transit, what pat of looking to a leader at JTA is appealing to you?

I doubt Ferguson is a serious candidate for Marta. I speculate that he's either a token finalist so that they can promote the in house guy, or it's a favor to someone to get him credibility for him to get the JTA role permanently. Or combo of both.

The Marta in house guy has no experience as head of an agency, and somehow one of the largest transit agency's in the US has two other finalists with no experience either. That's puzzling. It's a win-win for everyone though. The in house guy gets job and Ferguson is happy to have his name floated for a big job.

New article in the Times-Union on Ford's departure and what he's leaving behind.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/08/13/nat-ford-leaves-jta-with-big-decisions-on-expanding-autonomous-transit/91125872007/

Quote from: CityLife on August 12, 2026, 08:59:56 AM

Quote from: Steve on August 12, 2026, 08:28:21 AMSide note - if you're Dallas or Atlanta, two cities with significantly larger transit systems featuring legit rail transit, what pat of looking to a leader at JTA is appealing to you?

I doubt Ferguson is a serious candidate for Marta. I speculate that he's either a token finalist so that they can promote the in house guy, or it's a favor to someone to get him credibility for him to get the JTA role permanently. Or combo of both.

The Marta in house guy has no experience as head of an agency, and somehow one of the largest transit agency's in the US has two other finalists with no experience either. That's puzzling. It's a win-win for everyone though. The in house guy gets job and Ferguson is happy to have his name floated for a big job.

Just checked into MARTA's board meeting today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Mp4l5GK0Q) and it does in fact sound like this is what played out.

It is my understanding that the next round of JTA public meetings will include cost estimates for each of the alternatives. Also, in response to public interest (including MetroJax?), they will include a "traditional streetcar" service as a new alternative.

^Updates on both of the above:

Ferguson is indeed the JTA Board's pick to be Interim CEO, and in the Daily Record article below he expresses interest in being their final pick.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/aug/27/cleveland-ferguson-to-serve-as-interim-jta-ceo/

The discussion on those new Skyway public meetings with cost estimates is over in this thread (https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php/topic,38385.msg537991/topicseen.html#new).

Dude, Ferguson could be the second coming of Jesus. They need to pick an outsider.

I second that. They need an outsider. Half the board needs to go as well. Its time for a fresh start. They should can the Skyway meetings altogether until leadership and direction is fleshed out.

Looks like there's more cuts coming at JTA - and it may include the NAVI!

From Action News

QuoteSources: JTA planning sweeping layoffs, major project changes, funding shift due to financial issues

Action News Jax has learned that the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is prepared to take drastic action to get out of a financial hole, including widespread layoffs to address mounting financial troubles.

Multiple sources familiar with the plans tell Action News Jax Ben Becker the overhaul will not only include significant layoffs, but possible pauses to high-profile projects, and a request for emergency financial relief from the Jacksonville City Council.

The sources told Action News Jax that employees at multiple levels within JTA will be impacted, from executives to bus drivers.

Sources also say the authority is considering slamming the brakes on its NAVI autonomous vehicle program, while proposals to upgrade or retrofit the Skyway remain up in the air.

In addition, JTA officials are expected to seek emergency legislation from the City Council that would allow the authority to redirect tens of millions of dollars in local option gas tax revenue.

Those funds were originally intended for transportation projects, including the Navi, Skyway improvements, and portions of the Emerald Trail. Redirecting them now would help stabilize JTA's finances and balance its books.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/sources-jta-planning-sweeping-layoffs-major-project-changes-funding-shift/4DO75BAPEFH3REXHZJMV2T5YS4/

^ Nat Ford had to know this was coming and, as predicted, is jumping ship literally before the bills come due for his mismanagement.  None of this happened overnight to this degree.  JTA management had to see it coming and appears to have been less than transparent (I am being kind here) to keep it from coming out until after Ford's announced departure and securing his next job.

I say scrap/mothball the little used, inefficient and disproportionately money draining NAVI AND SKYWAY immediately and get back to basics, i.e. get the bus system operating as a good bus system should.  Once done, JTA can revert back to what's next, beyond buses.

For now, JTA has zero credibility to ask for money for anything else or new.

The silver lining of the deficits is it is shaking out the poor management and killing projects that should have been killed off or never started long ago. 

Looking forward to a more disciplined, focused and transparent JTA after this "scandal" plays out, following in the footsteps of Zahn's fiasco at JEA.  All predicted here  ;D .

D day!

QuoteJTA is expected to announce the changes it's making on Thursday.

Not a dime should come out of the local options gas tax to bail out JTA or offset their moronic operating losses, particularly not funds set aside for the Emerald Trail.

The City Council needs to make that a hard line.

Just an absolute disgrace, JTA has become.

I'm fine with them taking LOGT NAVI money to keep existing transit services.

I agree, redirect NAVI/U2C money to bus service.
I also agree, no Emerald Trail money for bus service, keep it on the Trail.
Skyway, my initial thought is to continue operating and necessary maintenance expenses where they are. But, if the gaping hole is deep enough, I could support temporarily suspending service, if it would make money available to get through this emergency.

In the meantime, have the Skyway PD&E prepare their final report. Pay them. Put the study on the shelf.

As I said when the January service cuts and the October fare increases were announced, those actions are typical of a transit agency in a death spiral. Deficits increasing. Raise fares / cut service. Lose more riders and deficits grow even more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Perhaps the Florida Attorney General or Chief Financial Officer - who love to get involved in local government - would be interested in poking around JTA's financial decisions over the last decade, and whether management staff has been transparent in their reports to Board and City Council.

I hope JTA can entice a CEO with a record of saving failing systems.

This is reckless financial mismanagement. I haven't done a deep dive on it, but will try to simplify the issues based on some quick research.

Public Agencies, counties, and cities typically have a requirement (or policy goal) for how much cash to keep in reserve relative to operating expenses. JTA had historically maintained a goal to keep a 25% reserve. In 2024 this was reduced from 25% to 20%. JTA then drew almost $20 million from reserves in FY 2025 to cover budget deficits. We are now in FY 2026 and JTA has projected cost overruns of $32.8 million, along with $22 million in outstanding bills. The agency only has cash on hand for 59 days of operations. That means they are below the 20% reserve goal that was already reduced in 2024. My estimation is that they are now at only 16.2% reserves.

Having to get a $40 million credit line is really troubling.

This isn't just on Nat Ford either. The JTA Board and City Council both have oversight over JTA's budget, and the Mayors administration has some review of the JTA review through the Mayor's Budget Review Committee. The Mayor also appoints 3 of the 7 JTA Board Members. Mayor Deegan has had two appointments on the JTA Board at all times dating back to 2023. The third Mayoral appointee, Aundra Wallace is a Curry appointee. All three of the Mayors appointees are in leadership positions: Wallace as Chair, Patricia Sams as Vice Chair, and Elaine Brown as Treasurer. Interestingly, a former Deegan mayoral appointee Megan Hayward was replaced in 2025 after calling into questions issues of JTA's management.

Like many of you, I've been very critical of Nat Ford in past, but this runs much deeper. Hopefully it is not too late to right the ship.

Yes, its a much bigger problem than Nat Ford. He's staff. Just a face at the end of the day. It's hard to trust any type of real or transformational system improvement happening without first cleaning house.

Talking stuff like autonomous vehicles, LRT, streetcar, etc. (e.g. this Skyway PD&E) is a waste of time and money if we're expecting those responsible for today's holes to be in charge of planning and implementation.

150 layoffs. Skyway and NAVI being mothballed.

^ Wow.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-transportation-authority-suspending-skyway-navi-budget-cuts-2027/77-43f6e5b3-32f9-45d3-bac1-f59a4141a631

Just a catastrophe for mass transit in North Florida. I'm not sure what else to say yet.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-transportation-authority-suspending-skyway-navi-budget-cuts-2027/77-43f6e5b3-32f9-45d3-bac1-f59a4141a631

Quote from: thelakelander on September 17, 2026, 02:44:18 PMYes, its a much bigger problem than Nat Ford. He's staff. Just a face at the end of the day. It's hard to trust any type of real or transformational system improvement happening without first cleaning house.

Talking stuff like autonomous vehicles, LRT, streetcar, etc. (e.g. this Skyway PD&E) is a waste of time and money if we're expecting those responsible for today's holes to be in charge of planning and implementation.

Yes, there's plenty of blame to share on this; and plenty of heads to roll (or at least be told to find work, or appointed position, elsewhere) Perhaps the state does need to get involved. JTA is a state agency.

(I was just about to post the FCN link myself, but got a warning there were 2 new posts - and I reviewed them!)
So here's News4Jax - https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/17/jta-to-cut-39-million-from-fy-2027-budget-suspend-skyway-service-in-november/

QuoteNavi service will be paused Jan. 1, 2027. Ferguson said the autonomous vehicles will revert to manual operation because software used by the private-sector provider is set to expire. The change is expected to save about $487,000 per month.

So, the software costs nearly half-a-million a month? How much more could they save by eliminating the service altogether? With the absurdly low ridership, those dollars could be better spent on real bus service.

You can feel the death spiral coming. A $2.9 million surplus becomes a $30 million deficit in the span of one quarter. $22 million in unpaid, delinquent bills. An emergency $40 million line of credit. Fare reductions mixed with a 15% decline in ridership. Cash reserves that used to generate annual interest revenue for the JTA reduced to just 59-days in operating reserves. Sales tax allocations dropping. And now, weekday service is moving to a Saturday schedule.

I genuinely think the Skyway is dead forever. No retrofit. No rehab. No goofy walking trail. I think it just quietly crumbles for 10+ years while we study alternatives to death without the cash to fund any of it. I also think Navi is effectively dead.

Massive bummer. Could see the gas tax being an insane lightning rod in coming months, as JTA attempts to funnel dollars that were intended to fund capital projects into salaries for their staff.

Seems like the federal payback boogieman we've heard so much about may indeed be hokum if JTA can shut the Skyway down so quickly and project to save money near term by doing so.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 17, 2026, 04:50:01 PMCould see the gas tax being an insane lightning rod in coming months, as JTA attempts to funnel dollars that were intended to fund capital projects into salaries for their staff.

As it should be. The "defined project list" for JTA was a key component of selling the value proposition to the public, and it now appears the largest line items on that list will not come to fruition despite the tax remaining in place.

It's a completely predictable embarrassment that undermines faith in our entire local government. The timing certainly isn't good in the context of Amendment 3 and renewing the school mill, either.

Quote from: thelakelander on September 17, 2026, 02:44:18 PMYes, its a much bigger problem than Nat Ford. He's staff. Just a face at the end of the day. It's hard to trust any type of real or transformational system improvement happening without first cleaning house.

Talking stuff like autonomous vehicles, LRT, streetcar, etc. (e.g. this Skyway PD&E) is a waste of time and money if we're expecting those responsible for today's holes to be in charge of planning and implementation.

I think the vast majority of blame falls on Ford, personally. People trusted his vision, connections, and confidence and/or kept quiet because of his good standing in the community. He hired staff that aligned with his priorities. Sure, the board and those who appoint the board deserve scrutiny too - but those are volunteer roles ultimately.

QuotePeople trusted his vision, connections, and confidence and/or kept quiet because of his good standing in the community.

I can't blame him for this part. This has been a long time problem in Jacksonville. From day one, the autonomous vehicle stuff was silly and Ford sounded more like a fool when he tried selling me on it. No one over there could answer any basic technical question or give him some solid talking points there. We're all adults, so we have to hold ourselves accountable.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on September 17, 2026, 05:25:23 PMSeems like the federal payback boogieman we've heard so much about may indeed be hokum if JTA can shut the Skyway down so quickly and project to save money near term by doing so.

I wouldn't say this is the case. The FTA doesn't instantly show up at your door, but they will get around to you if a year or two passes without a clear path to reopening whatever they paid for. St. Louis' Loop Trolley is a recent example of this:

https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2021-12-27/feds-to-region-get-loop-trolley-running-again-or-pay-us-back

You can even read the letter explaining their demands:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21170228-loop-trolley-federal-obligation-to-operate-letter-122721/

In the end, the regional transit agency in St. Louis took over that trolley and reopened it, satisfying the FTA.

In the case of JTA, they would likely cite the 1990s grant awards that expanded and converted the Skyway to its current length and technology (not necessarily the original demonstration project grant from the 80s, though they perhaps could include it anyway) and then of course the 2018 BUILD grant for NAVI.

If I were Ferguson right now, I think I'd bin NAVI (obviously), find ways to reuse the assets, give the feds their $12.5 million back so we can all wash our hands of it, and then look at the cheaper Skyway rehab alternative Ennis found in that new Lea+Elliott study (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eIEDwf7BeI4kBNZOcK0PM-0HIXvOfvT6/view?usp=sharing) since being under construction both pushes worrying about operating costs a little further down the line and officially (hopefully) frees JTA to reallocate the remaining U2C funds from the LOGT to the bus improvements I mentioned in this thread's article.

I understand some here disagree, but that this unreplicable guideway already ties the billions in public and private investment between Pearl Square and the UF campus together, with the possibility of continued infill between them and (bear with me) accessing Brooklyn and the Sports Complex without being stuck in traffic like NAVI or a streetcar is enough benefit to justify that cost over the emotional value of tearing down that guideway and believing we'll spend a billion or more dollars to build another one from scratch later. That Gateway Jax even commissioned this study of their own volition says something to me.

^Apparently these talks are underway on the Skyway, if JTA is to be believed.

QuoteCity and JTA leaders have expressed concerns over the years that stopping Skyway operations, which has long struggled with ridership, and tearing down the infrastructure would result in the federal government recalling the roughly $90 million in grants used to build it.

Ferguson says JTA wrote to the Federal Department of Transportation in February to start talks about the Skyway's remaining useful life, and he says the pause will not trigger any financial clawback.

Full article: https://jaxtoday.org/2026/09/17/jta-layoffs-bus-service-skyway-navi/

What people don't talk about as frequently, but has definitely caught the ire of the feds over the last two years, is the First Coast Flyer. We took close to $90 million for a BRT-lite system, with promised headways of 10-minutes. The Flyer is now running headways of 20-minutes on a good day. It ain't gonna be pretty if we don't fix that.

I really think that between the Skyway, First Coast Flyer, and Navi, it's going to be very hard for Jacksonville to get transportation grants moving forward.

I agree. JTA is a clusterfuck. We're going to have to learn how to do more with less. So whatever we have, we better learn to work with and improve it or find billions in local money for the next gimmick.

Btw, what does it actually cost to operate NAVI on Bay Street? This article mentions saving $10 million on the Skyway operation for the fiscal year but refers to saving $487k per month on NAVI by letting humans drive those camper vans. Thats nearly $6 million. It sounds like NAVI cost more to operate than the Skyway....

^ Overall the problem I find here is that JTA's overall financial picture is not especially clear, and that seems to be having major consequences. Obviously they've been submitting budget documents that all involved have claimed to be happy with, but we're at a point where those documents somehow failed to reflect the underling condition of the agency. I'm not sure we totally know exactly how much JTA has received or spent on its major projects, between the First Coast Flyer itself, JRTC, U2C (beyond and including the Bay Street Corridor), and whatever other things like MobilityWorks and the various bond issues. I would certainly have questions for the previous CFOs and perhaps other executives on how exactly we got here. Those have to be answered to build the kind of confidence thats going to be needed to actually deliver better mass transit in this region. Unless, of course, everyone in charge wants to agree to once again blow millions of taxpayer dollars on something of questionable value to the public vs to JTA executives' resumes.

On the specific question, my understanding was that JTA signed a 5-year contract with Beep valued at "up to" $36.3 million, up to $7.26 million per year. $487k a month comes out to $5.84 million a year, so I'm not sure if that larger number includes extra service hours that JTA has been previously foregoing or something else.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 17, 2026, 08:09:39 PMWhat people don't talk about as frequently, but has definitely caught the ire of the feds over the last two years, is the First Coast Flyer. We took close to $90 million for a BRT-lite system, with promised headways of 10-minutes. The Flyer is now running headways of 20-minutes on a good day. It ain't gonna be pretty if we don't fix that.

I really think that between the Skyway, First Coast Flyer, and Navi, it's going to be very hard for Jacksonville to get transportation grants moving forward.

We did manage to finally deliver the promised frequencies on the full Flyer system for about a year, from ~early 2025 to earlier this year when the present circumstances became public, so at least the clock has somewhat just started. But I think the Flyer's performance in general probably begs some questions about the decisions JTA made on that system as opposed to how a lot of other cities our size have chosen to go about having BRT. As I say in the article, it'd be smart to take some of the LOGT money and really try to improve the infrastructure to reduce the operating costs, or maybe at least try to standardize around something like a 15-minute all-day frequency the way something like SunRunner does, but that probably demands serious leadership at JTA that won't want to run off on flights of fancy like U2C again. I'm not immediately sure how we convince local leadership to be okay with that.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 17, 2026, 08:09:39 PM^Apparently these talks are underway on the Skyway, if JTA is to be believed.

QuoteCity and JTA leaders have expressed concerns over the years that stopping Skyway operations, which has long struggled with ridership, and tearing down the infrastructure would result in the federal government recalling the roughly $90 million in grants used to build it.

Ferguson says JTA wrote to the Federal Department of Transportation in February to start talks about the Skyway's remaining useful life, and he says the pause will not trigger any financial clawback.

Full article: https://jaxtoday.org/2026/09/17/jta-layoffs-bus-service-skyway-navi/

What people don't talk about as frequently, but has definitely caught the ire of the feds over the last two years, is the First Coast Flyer. We took close to $90 million for a BRT-lite system, with promised headways of 10-minutes. The Flyer is now running headways of 20-minutes on a good day. It ain't gonna be pretty if we don't fix that.

I really think that between the Skyway, First Coast Flyer, and Navi, it's going to be very hard for Jacksonville to get transportation grants moving forward.

Biz Journal has a slightly different read:

QuoteThe existing Skyway also comes with federal obligations that complicate simply walking away from the system.

Ferguson said the infrastructure has approximately 15 years of useful life remaining, and accepting federal funding generally carries an expectation that the federally supported asset will remain in transportation use through that period.

JTA has previously said abandoning the Skyway before the end of its useful life could trigger federal repayment obligations.

"Either we're going to have a conversation with the feds about how we transfer that useful life to other federal assets," Ferguson said, "or other alternatives."

Time will tell but it seems like they want to abandon the Skyway and force the NAVI experiment hell or high water. That's been the motto for the last decade. Nothing mentioned today changes that direction.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 16, 2026, 11:38:35 PM^ Nat Ford had to know this was coming and, as predicted, is jumping ship literally before the bills come due for his mismanagement.  None of this happened overnight to this degree.  JTA management had to see it coming and appears to have been less than transparent (I am being kind here) to keep it from coming out until after Ford's announced departure and securing his next job.

I say scrap/mothball the little used, inefficient and disproportionately money draining NAVI AND SKYWAY immediately and get back to basics, i.e. get the bus system operating as a good bus system should.  Once done, JTA can revert back to what's next, beyond buses.

For now, JTA has zero credibility to ask for money for anything else or new.

The silver lining of the deficits is it is shaking out the poor management and killing projects that should have been killed off or never started long ago. 

Looking forward to a more disciplined, focused and transparent JTA after this "scandal" plays out, following in the footsteps of Zahn's fiasco at JEA.  All predicted here  ;D .

D day!

QuoteJTA is expected to announce the changes it's making on Thursday.

The spirit of my former post above aligns with today's announcement.
 
I don't want to say I told you so, but I will  ;D . 

I have consistently said BOTH NAVI and the Skyway made very poor uses of taxpayer dollars for what they delivered or, actually, NOT delivered.

I have said the Skyway, and now the addition of NAVI, would give mass transit initiatives a black eye making future mass transit initiatives difficult to implement.  You can imagine what the politics will be after today.

I predicted a big scandal at JTA would develop around Nat Ford, the JTA Board & Co.  It has now arrived.

I preached that the bus system running robustly should be the #1 priority for JTA before they moved on to anything else.

I questioned the payback to the Feds being that big of deal and whether, if it even needs to happen, that it might be far cheaper than running the Skyway into the future.  If cutting the Skyway saves $10 million/year for 15 years (that's $150 million) vs. paying less than $15 million in penalties to abandon it is the choice, any sane person would kill the Skyway given its poor history to boot.  And, here we are.

Pretty much batting a thousand here.  Sorry that I was on point so much because it will harm the taxpayers and mass transit in Jacksonville for years to come.  If only people would make decisions rationally and with common sense, not based on special or self interests, laziness and/or making political points.

Quote"Number two, program our core mission. We're prioritizing the essential services our community depends on while being most responsible stewards of taxpayers' dollars. And third, stabilizing today to restore tomorrow. The faster we get back on strong financial footing, the sooner we can reinstate the service level our community needs and expects."

https://jaxtoday.org/2026/09/17/jta-layoffs-bus-service-skyway-navi/

Here are some more comments and quotes to pile on:

All quotes below at:  https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/sep/17/jta-reducing-more-services-laying-off-employees-to-address-further-budget-concerns/

This is JTA board malpractice:

Quote"JTA's board was not previously aware of the dire nature of the agency's financial situation," spokesperson Phil Perry wrote. "We became aware as they did. As we all move forward, there must be a collective effort to learn from the past with an eye toward ensuring world class public transit in the future."

This quote appears to clarify a total shutdown of NAVI on January 1:

QuoteIn addition, the authority said it will suspend service on the Downtown Skyway tram beginning Nov. 2, a move designed to save $10 million. JTA also plans to save $5.84 million by suspending Downtown Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation service beginning Jan. 1.

The authority will reduce service on many of its bus routes to Saturday levels in coming weeks.

JTA said the suspension of Skyway and NAVI service would be indefinite. It did not say what it would save from the layoffs and frequency reductions.

More evidence that the payback to the Feds was a red herring.  JTA can't even give a number for discussion purposes so how could the say it was so menacing?

QuoteA grant to the city by the federal government required that the Skyway run for its full lifespan, though what is considered the "full lifespan" is not dictated. JTA is also not certain how much it would owe the federal government should it shut down the Skyway before that lifespan is complete, although Ferguson said the authority had been having conversations with the federal government to determine that.

Whoa! Here is a new angle for the Skyway:

QuoteFerguson said one of those options was to allow the private sector to operate the Skyway as a toll road, and said JTA had already received an unsolicited bid from a private construction company to convert the Skyway into a roadway.

And, then there is Holon.  Looking mighty iffy.

QuoteHolon said it still planned to move forward with the plant in 2026 but has not announced a new groundbreaking date.

The following quotes at: https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/jta-announces-nearly-200-layoffs-major-service-cuts-agency-works-close-39-million-budget-gap/6PH35QX55FECFKABUDUCKCEZCA/

JTA Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III explained how the agency envisions using those funds.

Quote"To pay down the debt as well as the severance packages that will be offered to our employees over these next couple of weeks," said Ferguson.

OK, then what would you call claiming a balanced budget or better to a 20%+ deficit in less than 6 months?

QuoteWe asked Ferguson whether he believes JTA's financial problems amount to mismanagement and whether he takes any responsibility as a member of leadership.

He rejected that characterization.

"No, this is not a case of mismanagement at all," he said....

....When asked how JTA got into its current financial situation, Ferguson said the agency's money was spent in accordance with its budget.

"Well, the money is, from a budgetary perspective, is spent in accordance with the budget. That's been improved year over year, and we're really focused on stabilizing today and moving forward in the future," he said.

JTA board will now join the former JEA board in the "Worst Boards of All Time" Hall of Fame for laziness, incompetence, mismanagement, failure to execute fiduciary responsibilities and abusing the taxpayers' interests.  Like JEA, the State Attorney needs to call for a Grand Jury investigation.  Given Fed funds are involved, maybe the U.S. Attorney, too.

Many here warned that U2C could become an Achilles heal for an otherwise popular mayor.  The below proves that point.  Hope Deegan can find a politically savvy way out of this mess.

Quote'She's lying': Former JTA board member blasts Mayor; calls for criminal investigation into agency

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Jacksonville Transportation Authority board member is speaking out 18 months after being removed from the board by Mayor Donna Deegan, saying warnings she raised about the agency's finances and oversight were ignored.

Megan Hayward was ousted by Deegan in March 2025, after she repeatedly questioned how the agency was spending money.

" I wasn't taken seriously," Hayward said during an interview with Action News Jax Ben Becker, who first reported Wednesday about widespread layoffs and the fallout.

Hayward said she was the lone board member to raise concerns about spending, governance, and oversight at JTA, including NAVI, which is part of the agency's Ultimate Urban Circulator program, also known as U2C. The autonomous vehicle project became a signature initiative of former JTA CEO Nat Ford and cost tens of millions of dollars.

"He was given free rein, and I don't know why," Hayward said of Ford, who left for the CEO job with Dallas Area Rapid Transit. "There was a lot of hubris behind this. People knew this wouldn't work, especially on the executive team," Hayward said.

Now, as JTA deals with major layoffs and the shutdown of both the Skyway and the Navi, Hayward argues responsibility extends beyond agency leadership.

She criticized both Ford and Mayor Deegan, accusing them of allowing the agency's financial problems spiral out of control.

The comments come after the mayor's office released a statement Thursday saying JTA's board "was not previously aware of the dire nature of the agency's financial situation" and that the mayor's office became aware of the issues when the board did.

Hayward strongly disputed that claim.

"B.S. I say B.S.," Hayward said when asked about the statement.

She also believes her removal from the board was tied to her opposition to the U2C project.

"Because she[Deegan] knew I was going to vote off the U2C project, I'm assuming that's why she kicked me off. She's lying [in her statement]," Hayward said.

Hayward also blamed members of the City Council and her former colleagues on the JTA board for failing to act on concerns she said were raised long before the agency's recent financial crisis became public.

Ultimately, she believes there should be a criminal investigation.

"One thousand percent, yes. The state needs to investigate them, the feds need to investigate them, the Department of Transportation should investigate them," Hayward said. "There are serious questions and issues that I brought up a year and a half ago that have not been answered to this day."

"Mayor Deegan appointed Elaine Brown to the JTA Board because of her previous transportation experience and did so when it aligned with the onboarding of several other new board members. False claims from a disgruntled former board member will not change that fact."

Action News Jax reached out to the State Attorney's Office to ask whether it would consider opening a criminal investigation, and we are waiting to hear back.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/shes-lying-former-jta-board-member-blasts-mayor-calls-criminal-investigation-into-agency/2J72QOGI7BFPTMTRCEDGLKJN3Y/

^ the headline is sensational, but the former board member blames the entire city council and her fellow board members in that interview, as well.

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?

Quote from: fsu813 on September 18, 2026, 06:29:36 AM^ the headline is sensational, but the former board member blames the entire city council and her fellow board members in that interview, as well.

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be enough to cover for Deegan.  Rory Diamond is already pouncing as predicted he would when this was sure to blow.

QuoteFormer JTA board member says she warned officials about agency's financial situation
Mayor Deegan said her office learned about the financial struggles at the same time the board did.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Reactions continued to pour in after the Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced plans to cut roughly 150 positions and reduce services as it works to trim $39 million from its budget.

A former JTA board member and some city leaders say the agency's financial struggles did not happen overnight and that warning signs were ignored.

Megan Hayward, who served on the JTA board for about a year and a half before she was removed, said she repeatedly questioned spending on projects including NAVI, the agency's autonomous vehicle program.

The project is scheduled to be temporarily halted Jan. 1.

"I looked at Donna before I left, and I said, if you guys do not take this seriously, this is going to be your JEA scandal. And here we are," Hayward said, referring to Mayor Donna Deegan.

Hayward said the cost of the NAVI project grew by more than $20 million beyond its original projection of about $250 million.

"It had ballooned already, like over $20 million from the original cost that had been projected," she said.

In her opinion, Hayward said, the spending reflected "complete ego and hubris" by Deegan and JTA's executive team.

"It could have been avoided if the NAVI project had been shut down sooner," Hayward said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Deegan said JTA's board "was not previously aware of the dire nature of the agency's financial situation. We became aware as they did."

City Council member Rory Diamond also criticized the mayor on social media, writing: "Never forget, @MayorDeegan cheered as @JTAFLA was driven into a ditch."

Diamond said he and others had warned for years about problems at JTA.

"We've been screaming from the mountaintops for the last two years that there's huge problems over there, and the mayor removed a board member who's asking those very questions," Diamond said. "So, you can't pretend not to know what's going on and have done all that. It makes no sense. It's dishonest."

JTA riders are now questioning how the cuts could affect their commutes and access to transportation.

"When I heard about it, I was like, on social media scrolling through, I just couldn't believe it because I have to catch the bus every single day," rider Shacara Miller said. "And because of how late I get back and forth to the terminal, it's going to be kind of hard with all the budget cuts."

Hayward said the agency's financial crisis and the use of federal money warrant a criminal investigation.

"There needs to be. When you're talking about federal money, it's a big deal what happens," she said.

She also criticized the impact of the cuts on mechanics, bus drivers and other lower-paid employees.

"The people that cause these problems to happen aren't getting hit as hard," Hayward said. "It's really affecting the mechanics, the bus drivers, the lower-tiered employees."

Hayward said JTA's executive team prioritized its own salaries over the people who depend on the system.

Deegan said the city needs to learn from the past while working to ensure world-class public transportation in the future.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/18/former-jta-board-member-says-she-warned-officials-about-agencys-financial-situation-before-jta-staff-and-budget-cuts/

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 18, 2026, 07:38:23 AMStart 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

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 19, 2026, 08:28:29 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 18, 2026, 07:38:23 AMStart 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.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 19, 2026, 08:28:29 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 18, 2026, 07:38:23 AMStart 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

Lol.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 19, 2026, 08:28:29 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 18, 2026, 07:38:23 AMStart 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

While true....I'm pretty sure Curry tried that same argument with JEA a few years back. How did that go?

She may have been able to make that claim if it weren't for the board member that was pulled. That move might turn out to be a bad one.

^ Unlike JEA, the Governor also appoints board members to JTA. 1 out of X board members during Ford's tenure reported any concerns about finances. And the type of finance concerns she had were not the same as the issues presenting today, sans Navi. She was generally concerned about relatively small things like uneven employee education reimbursement, and inaccurate reporting of ridership numbers (which is a whole other potential issue).

I totally understand the superficial optics. Sometimes that's good enough to have a long shelf life, sometimes the context catches up to the story after time.

^ Regardless of the JTA board, if anyone on the City Council, Mayor's office or JTA board read the Jaxson, they could have seen this train/bus/Skyway/NAVI about to run over them  ;D .  If it was obvious to outsiders, it should have been more than obvious to leadership.  Credit too, to Action News for also pointing out substantial cracks in the JTA foundation.

Blind love, politically, friendship or otherwise, in business is just plain unhealthy.  One has to continuously hold management accountable for expenses being managed/reasonable/justified, revenue being protected/growing, the bottom line being optimized given mission and constraints, and that no one is misusing their position to run the ship aground.  Thoughtful and feasible long term strategy/planning should also be expected.

It's not personal, its good business management 101.  No one should be offended (e.g. I sense the Mayor and the JTA Board didn't want to take on Ford).  If one is offended, that should invite even more scrutiny... after all, what are they afraid of revealing?

Based on the below, I would say both NAVI and the Skyway are cooked!  No doubt, tough on the employees, but it's the right and only decision to be made.  Sadly, the Skyway decision should have been made 40 years ago and the NAVI about 5 years ago.  Better late than never. 

The Financial Planning Manager is an obvious casualty unless he/she spoke up and no one would listen.  Unfair in that case but they need a scapegoat, perhaps.

Quote....News4JAX obtained a list of more than 150 employees whose positions are being eliminated as part of JTA's restructuring. Positions eliminated Friday include

- Program Manager

- Chief Innovation Officer

- Director - Automation & Innovation

- Business Relations Administrator

- Financial Planning & Analysis Manager

Employees who worked with JTA's Skyway Line are also on the list. News4JAX witnessed the Skyway operating in downtown Jacksonville on Monday. Workers who oversaw JTA's Navi system are included as well. JTA says Navi will make its last run at the end of this year...

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/21/hurt-and-blindsided-laid-off-jta-employee-says-employees-were-given-severance-packets-escorted-out-of-headquarters/

This idea that the Mayor of Jacksonville and City Council have no involvement or impact on JTA because it is an "independent authority" isn't entirely accurate. JTA is independent, but there are statutory checks and balances in place to provide City oversight.

1. The Mayor's Budget Review Committee annually reviews JTA's proposed budget, along with several other independent agencies and programs. This year, the MBRC reviewed JTA's FY27 budget on June 9. If there are red flags in JTA's finances or proposed spending, this provides the Mayor's administration an opportunity to identify and raise concerns. https://www.jacksonville.gov/departments/finance/events/mbrc_fy27_psg_culturalcouncil_jta_jaa?utm_source=chatgpt.com

2. City Council separately approves JTA's annual budget by ordinance. It isn't simply buried within the City's overall budget. Council therefore has another opportunity to question JTA officials, scrutinize its finances, amend the legislation, or decline to approve the budget as presented. The Council Auditor also has statutory authority to audit JTA's use of City funds.

3. Now here's where the Mayor and Council have real teeth. Florida Statute §349.041 is specific to the JTA. It says: "The authority shall prepare and submit annually its requests for such funds as it may require from the city for the ensuing year to the council of the city on or before June 1, setting forth its estimation for related gross revenues and estimated requirements for operations, maintenance expenses, and debt service. A copy of such requests shall be furnished to the Department of Transportation. The council and the mayor of the City of Jacksonville may appropriate such funds as they deem appropriate for the use of the authority, and the use of such funds shall be subject to audit by the Council Auditor of the City of Jacksonville." https://leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399%2F0349%2FSections%2F0349.041.html%2F&utm_source=chatgpt.com

4. The Mayor also participates in the City's legislative and budget process and has veto authority over legislation passed by City Council, subject to Council's ability to override a veto. So there is an additional executive check in the process.

5. As discussed already in the thread, the Mayor and City Council have a direct role in JTA's governance. Three of JTA's seven board members are appointed by the Mayor and must be confirmed by City Council. The remaining four are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. And as I previously said, the current Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer of the JTA are all Mayoral Appointments.

^I think at the end of the day, perception is reality. If the public believes that the Mayor turned a blind eye (or cheered on) while the JTA squandered tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a stupid vanity project, then she's genuinely exposed. That said, I just don't think the average Jacksonville citizen is particularly engaged or knowledgable about transit issues. If they were, we would have seen calls for Nat Ford's head years ago and we wouldn't see the majority of survey respondents voting to turn the Skyway into an electrified trapeze park.

^ Yes & that's exactly the point. The responsibility is on the Mayor & Council to insure things are not out of order. We all can agree Diamond is a loose cannon, but nonetheless multiple members of council brought up concerns to the point that they had a few special meetings with JTA being the spotlight.

Donna has repeatedly endorsed JTA & Ford... while not doing her own DD. Again sorry... you don't get the benefit of the doubt as a mayor in my book. All that to say she has done a major disservice to the citizens of Jacksonville... really not so different to Curry w/ JEA... just with different tactics this time around.

The media connections are coming in handy!

^ I think the Mayor bears some responsibility but I would also question why those in her inner circle of the Administration weren't more strident in "protecting" her. I personally gave NAVI warnings to one of the Mayor's inner circle, several prominent City Council supporters, and several of the Mayor's top outside advisors over the last 3 years, to no apparent effect.

To add, it's clear that Ford also seduced the JTA Board and most of the City Council for many years plus Deegan's predecessor, Curry.

Not sure how he snowed the City's auditors either.

Does anyone know if Wyman Duggan, a rumored Mayoral candidate, assisted in getting State support for NAVI?  If so, he should be effectively neutralized on this issue.  Same for our other State and Federal delegations.

Lots of blame to go around.  Not an ideal defense but may diffuse some of the harm to Deegan.

Credit to Jaxon posters for the call outs.  Too bad hardly no one was listening elsewhere.

I wonder if Dallas is paying attention and having any "buyer's remorse."  ;D

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 22, 2026, 01:08:29 PMDonna has repeatedly endorsed JTA & Ford... while not doing her own DD. Again sorry... you don't get the benefit of the doubt as a mayor in my book. All that to say she has done a major disservice to the citizens of Jacksonville... really not so different to Curry w/ JEA... just with different tactics this time around.

The previous administration also bears responsibility. It was an agreement between Mayor Curry and JTA that split the LOGT revenues 50/50. Its in large part due to people on this site that approx. $135 million originally proposed for the Skyway / U2C was instead allocated to the Emerald Trail prior to Council approving the LOGT extension.

Sure, and there are consequences of Deegan's admin we won't see until a few years from now. Thats politics. Don't you find it ironic how she campaigned against the "good ole boy" network yet... well, lol.

Also btw... Curry inherited Ford too... and who blew up the Emerald Trail & under which admin? Also who removed a Board Member from their post prematurely & replaced them with a former mayor with literally zero background lol....

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 22, 2026, 02:04:12 PMI wonder if Dallas is paying attention and having any "buyer's remorse."  ;D

Outlets there are beginning to cover this, whether it matters is yet to be seen.

https://www.keranews.org/transportation/2026-09-22/dart-ceo-leaves-prior-transportation-agency-with-32-million-budget-deficit

Included there is a Council Auditor (https://www.jacksonville.gov/getContentAsset/923b2738-09e0-42b2-878e-941fdc51be37/135b97c9-84fa-4e82-b956-0fbccec4aa1f/Report-908-Quarterly-Summary-for-the-Nine-Months-Ended-June-30,-2026.pdf?language=en) report that provides a little more detail into the source of the deficit, starting on Page 8:

QuoteJACKSONVILLE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

The financial report of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is projecting an overall deficit of $31.8 million at year-end. The unfavorable variance is made up of a projected $17.4 million shortfall in revenues and projection that budgetary capacity for expenditures will be. exceeded by $14.4 million.

The main cause of the projected revenue shortfall of $17.4 million is due to projected shortfalls in Net of Debt Sales and Constitutional Gas Tax of $10.5 million mainly due to a downward trend in the sales tax, in interest earnings of $3.3 million due to less cash available, in Net Local Option Gas Tax of $3.3 million based on actual collections, and Passenger Fare of $1.8 million due to the passenger fare reductions during the year. These were partially offset with projected favorable variance in State Transportation Disadvantaged Funds of $1.5 million.

The main cause of the expenditures being projected to exceed budget by $14.4 million is due to a projected negative variance of $8.4 million within the Services category of CTC due to the contract for the service provider not being budgeted for the full year and the overall fringe benefits category of $7.4 million due to benefit related expenses not being budgeted accurately. Note that it is expected that expense authority will be exceeded by $11.4 million since $3 million of expense projection is to fund contingencies; however, this does still mean that they are projected to spend $14.4 million more than they had budgeted for as part of the budget.

Based on JTA's projections, they will need a budgetary amendment due to exceeding expense authority.

One question I'm beginning to have: has Ford already left JTA as of now? He's not officially due to start at DART for another month but given how JTA's press release (https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/press-release/jacksonville-transportation-authority-announces-budget-reductions-and-service-changes/) discusses the cuts, it would appear that Ferguson is already serving as interim CEO. What is Ford doing between now and the end of the month? Have there been any questions for him by city or other officials about how his leadership put everyone in this position?

Quote from: marcuscnelson on September 22, 2026, 04:18:41 PMOne question I'm beginning to have: has Ford already left JTA as of now? He's not officially due to start at DART for another month but given how JTA's press release (https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/press-release/jacksonville-transportation-authority-announces-budget-reductions-and-service-changes/) discusses the cuts, it would appear that Ferguson is already serving as interim CEO. What is Ford doing between now and the end of the month? Have there been any questions for him by city or other officials about how his leadership put everyone in this position?

Even if you're willing to give Nat Ford a pass for taking a bold swing and missing (in spectacular, predictable fashion, burning through nearly $100 million in taxpayer dollars), he's behaved like a total scumbag on the way out. To answer your question, he's still on the public payroll in Jacksonville through October.

Yet, he's disappeared from public site since 1) framing his departure in late July as a major success for the city, surely knowing that his $2 million deficit would soon be revealed to be $40 million, 2) taking zero accountability and hanging the CFO out to dry by not appearing before the City Council in August (Rory Diamond was the only City Council member willing to bash Ford for not being there in person), 3) refusing comment in Dallas on all the bad financial reporting coming out of Jacksonville.

To not be public enemy number one in the city right now, the guy must either be very charming at Epping Forest or have Epstein-levels of dirt on every council member.

Quotehttps://www.keranews.org/transportation/2026-09-22/dart-ceo-leaves-prior-transportation-agency-with-32-million-budget-deficit

Reading this article, if you still hire and defend someone after learning about the excessive spending and waste of tax money at their previous place of employment, you deserve everything you'll get. Prayers up for Dallas area transit users.

Anytime I see an executive leaving a bigger job for a smaller one, I wonder why.

Walking away from being the CEO of San Francisco and Atlanta, top 2 of 10 transit authorities, to come to Jacksonville should have created some pause.  Why take a "demotion" to a smaller market unless you are headed to retirement and are just interested in working at a slower pace?  I would think looking for an "up and coming" candidate would be of more interest than a "down and leaving" one.

Quote....Ford began his stellar career at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York, where he learned every facet of the industry before he went on to become CEO of two of the 10 largest transportation authorities in the US - the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in California, and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Georgia....

https://www.jtafla.com/about-us/leadership/chief-executive-officer/

What's up with Ford?  Here you go... still milking the cow that he has infected with a financial disease leaving others less fortunate to suffer.  His insurance is paid for until October while those he employed and are terminated get only a few more days.  Employees in Dallas should take note.

QuoteNat Ford will get another month of CEO-level pay amid JTA crisis

Outgoing Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford will keep drawing his CEO-level paychecks for another month even as JTA deals with a financial crisis that will force up to 194 layoffs and cuts in transit services....

...Ford's pay at JTA is based on an annual $475,904 salary which translates to almost $40,000 per month. He also gets paid $1,000 per month to cover fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance and other costs for use of a personal vehicle, according to his employment agreement.

City Council member Rory Diamond, who is the council liaison to JTA, said Ford should resign from JTA sooner rather than later.

"I think it's time," Diamond said. "I think Nat should head on to Dallas and we can clean up this mess. We have to live up to whatever our contractual obligations are, but other that that, to me it's ridiculous."...

....Ford's employment agreement with JTA says that in addition to his salary and private vehicle expenses, JTA will fully pay the premiums for his insurance coverage...

...The agreement says that once Ford resigns from JTA, he will not receive any further compensation or benefits other than those required by law, such as COBRA health insurance coverage, and he "may receive accrued vacation."...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/22/outgoing-jta-ceo-nat-ford-will-get-ceo-level-pay-another-month/91881536007/

The fact that Ford didn't attend the City Council budget meeting makes it seem like he's checked out.

It's also possible that he's burning up some of his unused sick time before leaving. It's common to pay out unused vacation time when an employee leaves, but sick leave is different. Some employers don't pay it out at all, while others pay a percentage or the full balance. From what I can find, neither JTA's policies nor Ford's contract appear to provide for a payout of unused sick leave. His contract does specifically address the potential payout of accrued vacation time.

So if he has a substantial sick-leave balance that disappears when he leaves, there would obviously be an incentive to use some of it before October 21.

The fact that he's starting at DART just five days after leaving JTA also suggests he isn't planning on needing much downtime between the two jobs. That's a quick turnaround after nearly 14 years running JTA, especially given everything going on there right now. Most people I know who switch between stressful jobs try to give themselves at least a couple of weeks off in between, if not longer. And at his income level, it's hard to imagine that taking a few unpaid weeks between jobs would be a financial issue. That tells me he is expecting to be well rested when he starts at DART.

Would anyone expect it any other way?

Quote from: CityLife on September 23, 2026, 09:22:47 AMThe fact that Ford didn't attend the City Council budget meeting makes it seem like he's checked out. It's also possible that he's burning up some of his unused sick time before leaving.

In all fairness to Nat Ford's 10 week disappearance, maybe he just decided to take the NAVI to Dallas?

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 22, 2026, 02:47:25 PMAlso btw... Curry inherited Ford too... and who blew up the Emerald Trail & under which admin?

What do you mean? Are you talking about the federal grant?

If so, that was successfully applied for and awarded in part because of Mayor Deegan's team - and the grant was rescinded by the Trump administration, which has significant ties to former Mayor Curry's team 

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 23, 2026, 12:29:42 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 22, 2026, 02:47:25 PMAlso btw... Curry inherited Ford too... and who blew up the Emerald Trail & under which admin?

What do you mean? Are you talking about the federal grant?

If so, that was successfully applied for and awarded in part because of Mayor Deegan's team - and the grant was rescinded by the Trump administration, which has significant ties to former Mayor Curry's team 

I put 100% of the blame for Jacksonville losing the largest grant in city history - a transformational ~$150 million toward the Emerald Trail - on Nat Ford. We sat on the grant agreement for sixteen months without executing it. And to me, that comes down to priorities. Ford was preoccupied with Navi, endless domestic and international travel, and his own job search (not well known, but he was angling for a job with the UAE long before Dallas), when we should have been prioritizing locking in the Emerald Trail grant, knowing that a new administration might shut down the program. It was not the city's responsibility to execute this grant agreement.

^ To that point, JTA should have been working overtime to finalize the agreement the second that Trump won the election.

The $147 million award was announced in March 2024. Trump won on November 5, 2024. The funding wasn't rescinded until July 2025. So not only did they not execute the grant agreement in 16 months, about 8 months of that was after Trump won the election. It wasn't like the Trump administration came in and immediately pulled the rug out from under Jacksonville.

Had the grant been fully executed and the funds obligated before the July 2025 rescission, those funds would not have been part of the unobligated funding that Congress rescinded.

The big unanswered question is why a $147 million grant, the largest one-time federal grant award in Jacksonville's history, remained unexecuted for 16 months. I don't think JTA has ever explained what happened. Now that Ford is leaving, maybe we will finally find out.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 23, 2026, 12:29:42 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 22, 2026, 02:47:25 PMAlso btw... Curry inherited Ford too... and who blew up the Emerald Trail & under which admin?

What do you mean? Are you talking about the federal grant?

If so, that was successfully applied for and awarded in part because of Mayor Deegan's team - and the grant was rescinded by the Trump administration, which has significant ties to former Mayor Curry's team 

Yeah as Ken & CityLife said... there's a lot to this story that even people who have been paying attention aren't able to see. Hard to look the other direction with all the pieces in play.

QuoteI don't think JTA has ever explained what happened.

Action News Jax reached out to ask this very question.

To the surprise of no one, they declined comment.

Quote from: CityLife on September 23, 2026, 01:05:42 PM^ To that point, JTA should have been working overtime to finalize the agreement the second that Trump won the election.

The $147 million award was announced in March 2024. Trump won on November 5, 2024. The funding wasn't rescinded until July 2025. So not only did they not execute the grant agreement in 16 months, about 8 months of that was after Trump won the election. It wasn't like the Trump administration came in and immediately pulled the rug out from under Jacksonville.

Had the grant been fully executed and the funds obligated before the July 2025 rescission, those funds would not have been part of the unobligated funding that Congress rescinded.

The big unanswered question is why a $147 million grant, the largest one-time federal grant award in Jacksonville's history, remained unexecuted for 16 months. I don't think JTA has ever explained what happened. Now that Ford is leaving, maybe we will finally find out.

The answer is simple and can be summed up in one word.....incompetence!

There it is.

JTA asking to divert $30 million from the Local Option Gas Tax to pay for their $25 million emergency line of credit and severance packages for their staff.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/23/jta-board-approves-30-million-gas-tax-agreement-amid-39-million-budget-shortfall/

Rory Diamond is now on the record as wanting to kill the Emerald Trail.

Quote""We've got to stop the NAVI. We've gotta end the Emerald Trail. We've got to save JTA," said Diamond.

Not a dime should be taken from the Emerald Trail's bucket, especially not when all that money was allocated for NAVI.

Dallas, if they are smart, will rescind their offer.

Quote from: thelakelander on September 23, 2026, 03:39:56 PM

Quote from: CityLife on September 23, 2026, 01:05:42 PMThe big unanswered question is why a $147 million grant, the largest one-time federal grant award in Jacksonville's history, remained unexecuted for 16 months. I don't think JTA has ever explained what happened. Now that Ford is leaving, maybe we will finally find out.

The answer is simple and can be summed up in one word.....incompetence!

JTA seems to be historically poor at handling discretionary grants. Look at how they handled expanding the Skyway in the 90s, or how long the First Coast Flyer took to build out, or its implementation (basically none of the features you get even without crazy elevated busways on other BRT systems), or the way the BUILD grant (allegedly) tied their hands with getting the Ford vans instead of the shuttles they really wanted. And of course the Emerald Trail.

Ford talked a big game about having won federal grants, but historically I'm not sure there's too much to say about how he's actually handled delivering on them. MARTA didn't expand at all when he was there, Muni didn't start building their most recent expansion project until he'd already left. Technically he's expanded JTA but in practice will probably end his tenure running less service for fewer people than when he took over. The problem might be larger than him, but he was given a lot of credibility by a lot of people for... what, exactly?

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 23, 2026, 05:21:52 PMThere it is.

JTA asking to divert $30 million from the Local Option Gas Tax to pay for their $25 million emergency line of credit and severance packages for their staff.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/23/jta-board-approves-30-million-gas-tax-agreement-amid-39-million-budget-shortfall/

Rory Diamond is now on the record as wanting to kill the Emerald Trail.

Quote""We've got to stop the NAVI. We've gotta end the Emerald Trail. We've got to save JTA," said Diamond.

Not a dime should be taken from the Emerald Trail's bucket, especially not when all that money was allocated for NAVI.

Dallas, if they are smart, will rescind their offer.

For starters, I think it's important for everyone serious to keep in mind that Rory Diamond is not serious about "saving JTA." Let's make sure to have some long-term memory about how he feels about mass transit.

That in mind, it seems fairly clear to everyone who didn't tie themselves to this for no reason that NAVI and U2C was a misstep on the part of a generation of Jacksonville's officials, and it's time to move on and clean house to that end. Including, eventually, Ferguson & all the Ford-era JTA executive team.

The Emerald Trail, on the other hand, would be suicide to throw away. There's simply no such thing as a great American city built on the premise that everyone will simply drive everywhere for every trip, and that includes the idea that people will use Uber or Waymo and the like for every trip. We need to be able to move people, especially across a city the size of Jacksonville, at scale. Trail systems are not the only way to do that, but can be especially helpful for making mass transit work. Cuts to funding it ought to be a nonstarter, even if how we build it might need to adjust in the meantime.

I don't think this use of the LOGT is a terrible idea but it does mean more liabilities on JTA's books, and of course it means that we're spending money that was supposed to be for infrastructure to pay for the crap choices JTA made. Now what really worries me is this, from that article:

QuoteThe Clay County Board of County Commissioners also voted Wednesday to terminate a funding agreement with JTA. The decision could affect Clay County's community transportation program, a public shuttle bus service.

If Nat Ford's leadership has been so poor, despite such praise by officials here, that it shatters the prospect of regional mass transit, after the state went and gave all the suburban counties seats on the board, then many more heads need to roll.

The more I read about JTA's current position, the more it reminds me of Jacksonville's pension crisis, which as a reminder, is still costing taxpayers more than $200 million a year to correct (more than parks, public works, and libraries combined).

Exact same progression for both:
1. We build a house on a foundation of overly optimistic financial assumptions and best-case revenue projections, making long-term spending commitments look way more affordable and bulletproof than they really are
2. Warning signs and underlying costs accumulate and grow over time, without anyone stopping to really notice
3. The true scale of the problem becomes clear and public only after very few painless options exist to course-correct.
4. Jacksonville is forced into major corrective action to restore financial stability, spending years paying down yesterday's costs while crippling the city's ability to move forward into the future.

You'd hope, at some point, we'd learn a lesson from all of this.

Another revelation about a significant NAVI proponent being let go:

QuoteSenior leadership roles are among the positions slated for elimination. JTA Senior Vice President Greer Gillis, who advocated for the NAVI, is on the layoff list.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/jacksonville-transportation-authority-layoff-list-reveals-administrative-positions-that-will-be-cut/OZWM52BMP5BWFCRYMWKXDCKTWA/?tbref=hp

Clay County wants no more of JTA:

QuoteThe Clay County Board of County Commissioners also voted Wednesday to terminate a funding agreement with JTA. The decision could affect Clay County's community transportation program, a public shuttle bus service.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/23/jta-board-approves-30-million-gas-tax-agreement-amid-39-million-budget-shortfall/

^ by canceling their agreement first, I believe they are hoping to renegotiate.

QuoteUnder an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, JTA can use $30 million they've already received in local gas tax, to pay down a loan and severance packages. A JTA Spokesperson says they have 10 years to pay the money back. The funding will help the agency meet its debt obligations.

Easy fix. Sell the Autonomous Innovation Center and Sprinter Vans and call it a day. The AIC cost $41 million to build. Some of that is technology inside the building, but the building itself has to have substantial value. Lakelander has already said the building was designed to be able to be retrofitted for other uses.

Also, maybe it has already been done or is still in the process, but JTA and potentially COJ should have attorneys conduct a comprehensive review of the U2C contracts, procurement documents, consultant reports, public presentations, press releases and meeting records. Did Balfour Beatty or any of JTA's other consultants and contractors make material representations about the technology's capabilities, schedule, costs or deliverables that proved inaccurate, or fail to satisfy contractual obligations?

Now that Ford is leaving, the gloves should come off here.

Quote from: CityLife on September 24, 2026, 07:28:07 AM

QuoteUnder an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, JTA can use $30 million they've already received in local gas tax, to pay down a loan and severance packages. A JTA Spokesperson says they have 10 years to pay the money back. The funding will help the agency meet its debt obligations.

Easy fix. Sell the Autonomous Innovation Center and Sprinter Vans and call it a day. The AIC cost $41 million to build. Some of that is technology inside the building, but the building itself has to have substantial value. Lakelander has already said the building was designed to be able to be retrofitted for other uses.

Also, maybe it has already been done or is still in the process, but JTA and potentially COJ should have attorneys conduct a comprehensive review of the U2C contracts, procurement documents, consultant reports, public presentations, press releases and meeting records. Did Balfour Beatty or any of JTA's other consultants and contractors make material representations about the technology's capabilities, schedule, costs or deliverables that proved inaccurate, or fail to satisfy contractual obligations?

Now that Ford is leaving, the gloves should come off here.

I'm not sure how much selling the AIC and vans would net, after JTA reimburses the USDOT for their share of the cost. What was the Fed's percentage on this?

I saw this on Facebook. All good points.

QuoteKatrina Brown
13 minutes ago  ·
🚨 MY VIEWPOINT: ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE JTA BOARD
I'm going to make this one short this morning.
We've talked about former CEO Nat Ford. We've talked about the executives. We've talked about the $39 million budget shortfall.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE JTA BOARD.
The JTA Board has tremendous responsibility for the leadership and direction of this agency.
And according to my sources, board members knew JTA was facing serious financial problems.
My sources believe that's why the board wanted an INTERNAL interim CEO instead of bringing somebody independent in from the outside.
That allegation needs to be investigated.
What we can document is that the board voted to consider only internal candidates for interim CEO. It ultimately unanimously selected Cleveland Ferguson III, who had been with JTA since 2015 and had served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer for three years.
So here's my question:
WHAT DID THE BOARD KNOW WHEN IT MADE THAT DECISION,  AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT?
Because this financial situation didn't develop overnight.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW THE EMPLOYEES WERE TREATED.
According to my sources, employees were called into a room and blindsided with the news that their positions were being eliminated.
That account is consistent with public reporting from at least one former employee, who said workers were called to the boardroom, given severance packets and had their IDs taken.
But my sources are telling me something even more troubling that I believe Councilman Ron Salem needs to investigate.
According to my sources, some employees were eligible to retire, but were not given the opportunity to simply retire out. Instead, they were required to take the severance package or lose their jobs.
And then my sources tell me there was an exception.
According to my sources, ONE EXECUTIVE was allowed to retire and allegedly walked away with an estimated $100,000.
I have not independently verified that $100,000 figure, so I'm putting the allegation exactly where it belongs:
According to my sources.
But if that's true, Councilman Salem, we need answers.
Why was that executive allegedly treated differently?
Who was the executive?
What exactly did the approximately $100,000 consist of , retirement benefits, severance, accumulated leave, another payment, or some combination?
Who authorized it?
And why weren't other retirement-eligible employees allegedly given the same opportunity?
THAT'S WHAT I WANT INVESTIGATED.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER BIG QUESTION:
HOW LONG HAD THIS LAYOFF AND RESTRUCTURING PLAN BEEN IN THE WORKS?
You don't identify dozens of positions, restructure departments, cut contracts, prepare severance packages and plan major service reductions overnight.
JTA publicly announced that it would eliminate 44 administrative positions and potentially as many as 150 operational positions while addressing its $39 million budget gap.
So I want the timeline.
When did planning start?
Who participated in the planning?
When was the board first briefed?
When was the layoff list created?
Who approved the names on that list?
What did Nat Ford know?
What did Cleveland Ferguson know?
And what did each JTA board member know?
AND MAYOR DONNA DEEGAN,  I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU TOO.
Please stop taking up for your JTA board appointees and start demanding answers from them.
Your administration has said the JTA Board didn't know how serious the financial crisis was until they were brought up to speed.
According to my sources, that is NOT the whole story.
Because according to my sources, the board knew there were serious financial problems before the public understood the extent of what was happening.
That allegation deserves a real examination of emails, meeting records, financial reports, executive communications and the timeline leading up to these cuts.
And remember: when the board was selecting an interim CEO in August, the financial problems weren't completely hidden from public view. Contemporary reporting said JTA was already dealing with budget deficits, previous layoffs and furloughs, and board members themselves were discussing the need for fiscal responsibility.
So Jacksonville, don't just:
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
🔥 FOLLOW THE TIMELINE.
Because the timeline may tell us WHO KNEW WHAT?  AND WHEN THEY KNEW IT.
And most importantly, let's find out whether the people at the top were treated differently from the employees who were shown the door.
Councilman Ron Salem, I hope you call for a FULL INVESTIGATION.
Jacksonville taxpayers,  and those employees,  deserve answers.
🔥 AND AS THE WORLD TURNS AT JTA... STAY TUNED.
Behind the Sauce Media will provide additional information soon.
Katrina Brown

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 23, 2026, 06:04:20 PMThe more I read about JTA's current position, the more it reminds me of Jacksonville's pension crisis, which as a reminder, is still costing taxpayers more than $200 million a year to correct (more than parks, public works, and libraries combined).

Exact same progression for both:
1. We build a house on a foundation of overly optimistic financial assumptions and best-case revenue projections, making long-term spending commitments look way more affordable and bulletproof than they really are
2. Warning signs and underlying costs accumulate and grow over time, without anyone stopping to really notice
3. The true scale of the problem becomes clear and public only after very few painless options exist to course-correct.
4. Jacksonville is forced into major corrective action to restore financial stability, spending years paying down yesterday's costs while crippling the city's ability to move forward into the future.

You'd hope, at some point, we'd learn a lesson from all of this.

Probably the smartest thing I will read today, maybe all week.

Changing mayor's every 4-8 years doesn't help with maintaining institutional memory of these debacles, I would add.   

Quote from: Charles Hunter on September 24, 2026, 08:32:46 AM

Quote from: CityLife on September 24, 2026, 07:28:07 AM

QuoteUnder an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, JTA can use $30 million they've already received in local gas tax, to pay down a loan and severance packages. A JTA Spokesperson says they have 10 years to pay the money back. The funding will help the agency meet its debt obligations.

Easy fix. Sell the Autonomous Innovation Center and Sprinter Vans and call it a day. The AIC cost $41 million to build. Some of that is technology inside the building, but the building itself has to have substantial value. Lakelander has already said the building was designed to be able to be retrofitted for other uses.

Also, maybe it has already been done or is still in the process, but JTA and potentially COJ should have attorneys conduct a comprehensive review of the U2C contracts, procurement documents, consultant reports, public presentations, press releases and meeting records. Did Balfour Beatty or any of JTA's other consultants and contractors make material representations about the technology's capabilities, schedule, costs or deliverables that proved inaccurate, or fail to satisfy contractual obligations?

Now that Ford is leaving, the gloves should come off here.

I'm not sure how much selling the AIC and vans would net, after JTA reimburses the USDOT for their share of the cost. What was the Fed's percentage on this?

True. I believe NAVI and AIC were both part of Phase 1 of the project. Looks like JTA used $12.5 million of a US DOT BUILD grant for it and $13 million of state money. The remaining $40 million came from JTA/local sources.

You are right that the grant obligations may complicate disposing of those "assets".

Similarly, what are JTA's obligations to try to keep NAVI and the AIC operational? If NAVI is shut down, what exactly happens to the Autonomous Innovation Center? Does it basically become Discovery One at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, a vacant ship packed with advanced technology but with no mission left to perform? How long will the AIC be floating in outer space with no use to the public?

Quote from: CityLife on September 24, 2026, 12:06:37 PMwhat exactly happens to the Autonomous Innovation Center?

Use the AIC to display the artist renderings from every failed and value-engineered project in Jacksonville's history. Include a section on every development "study" that was conducted and then never put into action. Maybe a special Mooneyhan wing?

^ it would make a great gas station/brewery combo

The Feds didn't put much into NAVI because they never believed in it. The AIC can be converted into a million different uses. We made sure that building design and cost would not equate to being a complete waste of money. JTA was hell spent on burning through public money for its construction.

We were not going to stop the foolishness without local political and support, but also knew NAVI would fail.

So that building can be anything from additional space at UF, a brewery, bakery, to F&B or a multi-tenant mixed use structure helping connect LaVilla to the retail environment in Brooklyn.

Quote from: Todd_Parker on September 24, 2026, 02:53:20 PM

Quote from: CityLife on September 24, 2026, 12:06:37 PMwhat exactly happens to the Autonomous Innovation Center?

Use the AIC to display the artist renderings from every failed and value-engineered project in Jacksonville's history. Include a section on every development "study" that was conducted and then never put into action. Maybe a special Mooneyhan wing?

You would need a building bigger than the Pentagon to do that.

Another update: The Skyway Social event has been canceled, as JTA will not have operational trains available on Saturday October 3rd. It's unclear if this means trains will still continue running the remainder of the month.

https://www.news4jax.com/community/2026/09/24/skyway-social-event-canceled-amid-jtas-39-million-budget-shortfall/

Quote from: marcuscnelson on September 24, 2026, 07:06:23 PMAnother update: The Skyway Social event has been canceled, as JTA will not have operational trains available on Saturday October 3rd. It's unclear if this means trains will still continue running the remainder of the month.

https://www.news4jax.com/community/2026/09/24/skyway-social-event-canceled-amid-jtas-39-million-budget-shortfall/

It is so wildly depressing that the Skyway got dragged down with NAVI.

Quote from: fsu813 on September 24, 2026, 03:01:42 PM^ it would make a great gas station/brewery combo

I had the same idea.  Let's get two birds with one stone.  Let the City do one of its famous land swaps and put Daily's here.  It is two stories and has vehicle service lanes.  If we are going to have an unsightly gas station, let's put it "hidden" between the Skyway tracks there.

Agree with Katrina Brown, but as I recall, her brother was terminated by JTA a few years ago so she may also see "payback" here   8)  .

Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 24, 2026, 07:25:22 PMIt is so wildly depressing that the Skyway got dragged down with NAVI.

Not all of us are depressed  ;D .  Putting it out of the misery it has brought the taxpayers for 40 years.

Quote from: jaxlongtimerNot all of us are depressed  ;D .  Putting it out of the misery it has brought the taxpayers for 40 years.

I get it. But I strongly believe it's less that the Skyway failed Jacksonville or that the system was inherently flawed, and more that Jacksonville failed the Skyway by not setting it up for success with easy wins. Like a Brooklyn extension. Or smart marketing. Or master planning that focused investment along the Skyway.

Exact same thing that happened with the Landing. The city made promises to Toney Sleiman that they would provide the structured parking necessary to lure big-name anchor tenants. They failed to do so, and failed to invest in its modernization, and then blamed the Landing for its own demise.

Same way that everyone is going to blame the Four Seasons and new stadium for underperformance five to ten years from now when the city is hanging the sports complex out to dry by not addressing supporting amenities, let alone basic parking.

It's just getting depressing.

Jacksonville is full of predictable self inflicted wounds. Regardless of how I feel about the Skyway (it is an asset, IMO), it or anything else transit related is snake bitten if in control of the JTA we have today.

To get better, we must bottom out by effectively cleaning house over there and replacing those in position of leadership, including the board.

Only then, will we realistically have a chance to improve the city's overall transit system, which could include reopening a better Skyway or moving forward with something that takes advantage of our existing infrastructure.

I don't think we can get there with keeping the same decision-makers in charge who put us in this black hole.

JTA and Skyway just made international news! 

..."betting", "paying for it decades later", "fragile...systems", "never quite delivered"... all reasons to move on.

Adding, again, the comment about paying back the Feds.  As I have always said, a big fat cover to hold taxpayers hostage.  All fiction.

Everything about the Skyway is a deck of cards... 100% pork barrel and a ploy by JTA to justify its executive salaries.  A 40 year scandal.

QuoteIn 1989, Jacksonville opened an automated train above downtown; in 2026, its free 2.5-mile Skyway with 8 stations is set to stop running

Why it matters beyond one city

...This isn't really a story about one little train. It's the story of how cities are betting on new technology, and paying for it decades later. JTA officials say the pause won't require them to repay the approximately $90 million in federal grants that built the Skyway, because they informed the US Department of Transportation earlier this year of the system's remaining useful life, according to Jacksonville Today. City leaders are also considering options that include rebuilding the Skyway, converting its elevated track for driverless shuttles, or tearing it down and turning the guideway into a walking path.

The Skyway's pause is a reminder of how fragile such systems can be. The technology that was once the future of American downtowns, a driverless train gliding silently overhead, never quite delivered the ridership its planners envisioned back in the 1970s. Whether it returns as a rebuilt monorail, a driverless bus corridor, or simply a raised footpath through downtown, its next chapter is still being written.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/in-1989-jacksonville-opened-an-automated-train-above-downtown-in-2026-its-free-2-5-mile-skyway-with-8-stations-is-set-to-stop-running/articleshow/134429503.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst..

The article is a very incomplete one. I wished they googled a bit more to write it.

The pause has nothing to do with fragile technology of an APM and everything to do with incompetent management at JTA.

200 people lost their job and several regular local bus routes are also being cut but not a peep or damnation of busses.

I can't read the article, a "sign in" splash screen with no place to sign in.

The part quoted doesn't prove the Fed payback to be "fiction." It just says the temporary closure won't trigger a payback. The question of whether payback is needed if the Skyway or NAVI never reopen is still open.

Quote from: Charles Hunter on September 25, 2026, 12:16:46 PMI can't read the article, a "sign in" splash screen with no place to sign in.

The part quoted doesn't prove the Fed payback to be "fiction." It just says the temporary closure won't trigger a payback. The question of whether payback is needed if the Skyway or NAVI never reopen is still open.

Strange, I got in via Google News click with no issues.

That JTA laid off its Skyway team tells me there is no way the Skyway will be operating under any circumstances anytime soon, if ever.  Some of these are likely highly trained and uniquely experienced persons who may not be replaceable (after all, who wants to learn to operate or fix outdated and one-of-a-kind vehicles that are no longer supported?) and, if laid off, you would expect there is no prospect in the foreseeable future for their services or they would have been "retained."

The prospect for reuse of the Skyway track are not great and, even if pursued, due to the decision making process, politics and finding adequate funding, are likely years out, at best.

As such, JTA either knows, suspects or has carefully calculated that any consequences from the Feds will be minimal or not at all.  And, I can't imagine the Feds pressing their case against a financially stressed JTA.  It all adds up to the Fed payback likely being much ado about little or nothing.

The elevated structure can be anything from the existing APM to a different APM, streetcar, etc. You wouldn't pay to demolish a river crossing and 2 miles of track just because you laid off people. Anyone who would do that without true evaluation of the system, would be just as bad in a leadership role as those that put JTA in its financial hardship.

The same goes for NAVI. Its not exactly dead because they laid off staff. You can pay expertise in house or hire outside consultant help.

While the Skyway has not been a success, celebrating its demise is not progress. To Lake's point, no substitute form of transit will accomplish either grade separation or a river crossing outside of existing infrastructure at a price point we are willing to bear in at least a generation.

Classic example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Edit: For perspective, NAVI's best MONTH was about 2k riders, whereas the Skyway serves about 1k riders daily. Equating the two in terms of KPIs is analytical malpractice. Stipulating that both are underperformers, it remains an order of magnitude difference in actual results. Any argument that implies equivalence is fundamentally flawed, given the extraordinary investment into NAVI relative to the ongoing maintenance of the Skyway.

Automated people mover in Los Angeles at LAX doesn't seem to be faring any better than our Skyway. It's also suppose to be about 2.25 miles. At $3.3 billion, it appears to be another example of an extravagant/costly way to move people.

I anticipate Skway fans will extract that to say the Skyway track here is now worth $3.3 billion.  It's not the just the cost of construction, it's more so the cost of operating and maintaining it.

Interestingly, from the rendering, the cars appear bigger and the trains longer than the Skyway.  This  adds to my point about how inefficient our Skyway is at moving larger numbers of people.

No doubt, it will have a captive audience at LAX so passenger counts should be decent whenever the thing gets finished.  It will be interesting to see if it's any more reliable there than here or what other issues may arise there.  We should keep an eye on it.

Here, the cost per passenger is way off track (pun intended 8) and, unlike LAX, I don't see passenger counts ever getting to a point that would substantially bring that number down vs. other modes of transit.  That's my beef.

QuoteLOS ANGELES (KABC) --
Delays of LAX People Mover takes center stage in LA mayor's race

There's more bad news for the People Mover at LAX, which has been promised to address the horrific traffic at the airport.

It was supposed to open in 2023 but has been delayed multiple times and the current opening date was next month. Now it's delayed again, an issue that's taken center stage in the Los Angeles mayor's race.

The People Mover, called SkyLink, is way over budget.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has blamed Mayor Karen Bass' leadership.

Construction on the project began back in 2019, long before Bass was mayor. But many of the delays have happened on her watch, including the People Mover's failure to be ready for when Los Angeles hosted World Cup games.

"I look forward to this being done so we can safely and efficiently move Angelenos and visitors to our world-class airport in the new year," Bass said in a statement. "The contractors need to get this across the finish line."

In a campaign video, Raman said that, if elected mayor, she would seek investigations by the city attorney and state attorney general into the contractor's handling of the project.

"I'm going to make sure contractors like these never get a single dollar from the city ever again," Raman said in the video.

The over 2-mile People Mover will connect the terminals to the new rental car lot, parking and L.A. Metro.

LAX has blamed the contractor for the delays, but said rigorous testing is required.

"... We will not compromise on these stringent safety protocols, as delivering a system that safely, dependably, and durably serves Los Angeles and our upcoming global events is our primary focus," LAX's statement read in part.

https://abc7.com/post/delays-lax-people-mover-takes-center-stage-la-mayors-race/19873147/

(https://media.nbclosangeles.com/2024/07/02-Center-CTA-Aerial-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=1450%2C906)
https://media.nbclosangeles.com/2024/07/02-Center-CTA-Aerial-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=1450%2C906

Not sure what an over budget random airport APM project in LA has to do with anything in Jax.

MTS in San Diego is forecasting a $150 million budget deficit and possibly cutting 1/3rd of its bus routes and reducing its streetcar and LRT. Should this mean Jax should abandon looking at investing in local bus system as well as never considering streetcars and LRT?

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/mts-proposes-bus-route-cuts-amid-budget-deficits/4076002/?amp=1

We have to get serious about planning in this town, which means performing real analysis without trying to force ourselves into preconceived paths. As of now, for JTA, they need to get their financial house back in order.

Once there, to keep it in order, it will mean engaging in unbiased public outreach and planning, accepting a community vision and seeing how they can support that vision as opposed to force feeding half-baked internal executive leadership dreams like NAVI.

Here is the latest NON-update update on Holon.  Looks like JTA wants a $2 million Holon allocation back but then says they are committed to using their vehicles for U2C.  Looks like U2C is not yet dead at JTA.  Go figure.

Quote
HOLON autonomous vehicle factory still planned for Jacksonville despite Skyway uncertainty

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville city council member is calling into question the future of autonomous vehicles in Jacksonville.

Council Member Jimmy Peluso asked about the plan to order autonomous vehicles from HOLON at a meeting with Jacksonville Transportation Authority Thursday in light of the agency announcing the Skyway and NAVI will suspend operation in the next few months.

Last November, city leaders filled James Weldon Johnson Park to give folks a look at HOLON - an autonomous shuttled plan to replace the NAVI with the ability to ramp up to the Skyway.

With both the NAVI and Skyway taking a hiatus as part of JTA budget constraints, it had Jacksonville City Council Member Jimmy Peluso wondering if it's too late to ask for a refund at a meeting Thursday.

"The Holon contract, has that been, are those dollars already spent with HOLON, or can we pull those dollars back," said Peluso.

First Coast News took Peluso's question to a JTA spokesperson, who said JTA had a reservation for 14 HOLON vehicles to be delivered two years after the company broke ground on its plant on the Northside.

That spokesperson said JTA is working to reallocate the $2 million for now to pay for part of the current operations cost of the NAVI program.

The spokesperson added the pause of the Skyway and NAVI has not impacted plans for the HOLON shuttles as part of the Ultimate Urban Connector, saying "This was always part of the next phase of the U2C and we are still finishing the PD&E study for that phase."

"Maybe the HOLON vehicles can go to Nevada, Texas, other places, but I don't see it being on the streets of Jacksonville any time soon, at least," said Peluso. "I don't want us to put more money into that, when I'd rather have the buses we do have operating well."

While he doesn't want to see them on Jacksonville streets, Peluso isn't opposed to still seeing the Holon vehicles built here.

"If they open up that factory and they're able to do some high-tech devices and vehicles, sounds great," said Peluso. "You know, I hear there's a new guy in the Dallas transit authority. Maybe he wants to pay for our Holon vehicles."

A city spokesperson told First Coast News HOLON received a one year extension on its development agreement for a factory construction at Eastport Exchange Industrial Park.

Now, the city of Jacksonville is requiring Holon to invest $80 million in this factory site by the end of next year and create 100 jobs by the end of 2028.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/community/transportation/holon-factory-still-planned-for-jacksonville/77-6b5f88ac-62fd-47cd-8a38-a40bd9309de9

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 25, 2026, 06:41:25 PMAs such, JTA either knows, suspects or has carefully calculated that any consequences from the Feds will be minimal or not at all.  And, I can't imagine the Feds pressing their case against a financially stressed JTA.  It all adds up to the Fed payback likely being much ado about little or nothing.

As I already mentioned (https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php?msg=538252) that we'd learned from St. Louis, the FTA will demand a resumption of operations or their money back even if (probably especially if) the operator is crying poverty to justify a shutdown. To do otherwise would defeat the entire point, which is that the FTA expects projects accepting their money to operate for their useful life. Otherwise what's to keep anyone from accepting federal tax dollars for transit projects they never really expect to run as promised and then pocketing the money for them?

There's a reason why JTA has very intentionally chosen the language "paused" to describe what is happening to the Skyway and NAVI. How exactly such a pause unfolds is certainly going to be a question for a lot of people, and one I would anticipate the FTA keeps an eye on just as they have done elsewhere. I don't really understand why you seem to keep willfully and repeatedly ignoring these kinds of details in order to hamfist your claim of red herrings.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 26, 2026, 03:01:08 AMAutomated people mover in Los Angeles at LAX doesn't seem to be faring any better than our Skyway. It's also suppose to be about 2.25 miles. At $3.3 billion, it appears to be another example of an extravagant/costly way to move people.

I anticipate Skway fans will extract that to say the Skyway track here is now worth $3.3 billion.  It's not the just the cost of construction, it's more so the cost of operating and maintaining it.

Interestingly, from the rendering, the cars appear bigger and the trains longer than the Skyway.  This  adds to my point about how inefficient our Skyway is at moving larger numbers of people.

No doubt, it will have a captive audience at LAX so passenger counts should be decent whenever the thing gets finished.  It will be interesting to see if it's any more reliable there than here or what other issues may arise there.  We should keep an eye on it.

Here, the cost per passenger is way off track (pun intended 8) and, unlike LAX, I don't see passenger counts ever getting to a point that would substantially bring that number down vs. other modes of transit.  That's my beef.

And to this point, I have friends in LA that have been waiting for the SkyLink for some time now. There's some great local coverage there of what exactly has gone wrong with that particular project:


SkyLink being so expensive is notable because of how unusual that price tag is for the same APM technology used at more than a dozen other airports as well as in Miami and other cities every day. We already know the Skyway's infrastructure is capable of larger trains than the ones there now, it used to have them. The solution to what ridership has been thus far is not to replace it with something less functional.

If there's interest in a serious conversation about how to move people at scale throughout a city the size of Jacksonville, that acknowledges the real constraints involved in implementing plans for that (not nonsense excuses like JTA has made in pursuit of whatever they feel bolsters executives' careers), this city should definitely have it. If I had confidence that FDOT would allow for real priority for at-grade mass transit, that might make it more of an option, but given that even Miami couldn't get that out of them, I don't think it's rational to pretend Jacksonville would, so it probably doesn't make sense to spend a bunch of money poorly trying to implement that.

To Lake's point above, a serious conversation has to lead into a serious effort to plan and build and operate transit that won't look like what JTA has done before, and that will require rethinking things and new leadership to deliver, but that doesn't mean razing everything to the ground to feel better about the idea of starting over.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on September 26, 2026, 09:11:07 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 25, 2026, 06:41:25 PMAs such, JTA either knows, suspects or has carefully calculated that any consequences from the Feds will be minimal or not at all.  And, I can't imagine the Feds pressing their case against a financially stressed JTA.  It all adds up to the Fed payback likely being much ado about little or nothing.

As I already mentioned (https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php?msg=538252) that we'd learned from St. Louis, the FTA will demand a resumption of operations or their money back even if (probably especially if) the operator is crying poverty to justify a shutdown. To do otherwise would defeat the entire point, which is that the FTA expects projects accepting their money to operate for their useful life. Otherwise what's to keep anyone from accepting federal tax dollars for transit projects they never really expect to run as promised and then pocketing the money for them?

There's a reason why JTA has very intentionally chosen the language "paused" to describe what is happening to the Skyway and NAVI. How exactly such a pause unfolds is certainly going to be a question for a lot of people, and one I would anticipate the FTA keeps an eye on just as they have done elsewhere. I don't really understand why you seem to keep willfully and repeatedly ignoring these kinds of details in order to hamfist your claim of red herrings.

We shall see in due course how this plays out.  You totally overlooked my point leading up to my conclusion.  When you fire all the people that made the Skyway work, you will be hard-pressed to find replacements given its obsolescence and inconsistent political and financial support.  Sure, JTA is using the word "pause" for now but that could just be politically expedient JTA-speak for what's really going to happen.  I think we can all agree JTA is rarely upfront about what they really are up to or how they make decisions.

I Googled St. Louis transit projects and based on what I found they had both a trolley and light rail.  It looks like both were killed after maybe less than 10 years of actual operations.

For the trolley, it looks like St. Louis cleverly reduced the operating hours to only 32 hours a week, about 6 months a year (I wouldn't call that something the Feds had in mind when they funded it), to match exactly its expenses to its revenue and the Feds accepted that without further demanding a payback. I think most people would find that as a wink-wink arrangement, hardly a hard demand to be paid back.

For the light rail, I saw no mention of a Fed payback but, if St. Louis paid the Feds back, it appears that, even so, it was cheaper than running the funded project vs. switching to an alternative (BRT) that also served more people. 

Both of these outcomes would appear to support the point I have been pushing with the Skyway.  Either the Feds would favorably negotiate out the payback, or not, but, regardless, it's cheaper to go in a different direction and pay them back (we are 35 years in, not 10 or less, so a big time difference).

QuoteThe Loop Trolley will keep running for another three years.

Bi-State Development Agency's board of directors voted without opposition on Friday to continue a deal to physically operate the trolley for 32 hours a week between April and October. The Loop Trolley Transit Development District covers the costs.

Bi-State President and Chief Executive Officer Taulby Roach praised the head of Metro Transit for reducing the trolley's operating budget to match the revenue generated by the development district.

"I think this is a great success not only for Metro Transit and Bi-State but also for the region," Roach said. "We've been able to take a troubled asset and get it to work."

Bi-State took over the trolley in 2022 in order to help the region avoid having to pay back the millions of federal dollars used to construct the 2.2-mile trolley line. At the time, Roach said he was "gritting [his] teeth" in asking board members to approve the deal.

https://www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/2025-02-28/bi-state-to-operate-loop-trolley-for-another-three-years

MetroLink LRT still operates in St. Louis. Also, you can re-hire workers or contract out. Neither the Skyway or NAVI are officially dead.

Quote from: thelakelander on September 26, 2026, 10:07:31 PMMetroLink LRT still operates in St. Louis. Also, you can re-hire workers or contract out. Neither the Skyway or NAVI are officially dead.

You can rehire workers if you can find ones that know what they are doing and are willing to take the job.  Not so easily guaranteed under present circumstances.  Look at all the layoffs done during COVID and the shortage of qualified workers since in many companies and industries that wish they could get them to come back.  People move on when laid off and in today's labor market there is a serious shortage of trades people (e.g. qualified mechanics, etc.).

Here is what I was referring to re: St. Louis MetroLink. Apologies if I thought it related to the incumbent system.  It does appear that, going forward, they are switching gears to BRT from light rail.

QuotePrevious light rail plan scrapped
The original plan was pitched as a light rail system, was scrapped by Mayor Spencer and others because of costs.

"This was much more of an attractive project relative to competing for those federal dollars," Scott said.

Pivoting to the bus rapid transit system, which is already in cities like Minneapolis and Indianapolis, may cost less than putting in a light rail system, but funding remains a question.

East West Gateway, St. Louis' regional planning organization, could soon approve the plan, a crucial step toward federal funding. But questions remain if a half-cent sales tax approved by city voters in 2017 to fund Metrolink expansion can be used for bus rapid transit.


"Could that be used if we pivot this project from light rail to BRT, that is an ongoing discussion that we're still working through with the city and how that would have to be vetted either with the board of alderman or the overall voters and what that process would look like," Scott said.

https://www.firstalert4.com/2026/06/18/st-louis-bus-rapid-transit-plan-moves-forward-with-funding-questions/

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 26, 2026, 11:20:21 PM

Quote from: thelakelander on September 26, 2026, 10:07:31 PMMetroLink LRT still operates in St. Louis. Also, you can re-hire workers or contract out. Neither the Skyway or NAVI are officially dead.

You can rehire workers if you can find ones that know what they are doing and are willing to take the job.  Not so easily guaranteed under present circumstances.  Look at all the layoffs done during COVID and the shortage of qualified workers since in many companies and industries that wish they could get them to come back.  People move on when laid off and in today's labor market there is a serious shortage of trades people (e.g. qualified mechanics, etc.).

JTA doesn't need to operate or manage. Heck, given their track record, it may make more sense to have a contract with an operator. The same sentiment would apply to other forms of transit, like streetcar, LRT, and commuter rail.

This is the type of stuff you figure through realistic alternatives analysis and study.

^ Not to belabor the point, but I will  ;D .

Whether JTA hires or it's outsourced, my point is it's about the supply of the talent, not who they work for.  If the talent isn't there, no one can supply the labor.  I guess it's possible to retrieve the talent if JTA, being more desperate having eliminated the incumbents, pays a lot more money than they were spending. But that would just make the Skyway even more financially questionable.  We shall see in due course how it plays out.

I guess I'm saying the talent exists, if a decision is made to eventually pursue a technology like an APM, streetcar, LRT, etc. The world is much bigger than Jax and JTA.

Storm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Just more reason to put the pause on any more bright ideas coming out of JTA. Lets right the ship and get rid of the dead weight before moving forward.

An op-ed from Jax Today, by Ashton Hudson, a former member of the JEA Board
https://jaxtoday.org/2026/09/28/opinion-jta-board-owes-jacksonville-explanation/?omhide=true

Quote... The people overseeing JTA owe Jacksonville more than concern. They owe us an explanation.

A board earns its keep by challenging management before cash runs short. It tests assumptions, demands reliable numbers and intervenes when performance deteriorates. Jacksonville is entitled to ask whether JTA's directors understood the difference between supporting a CEO and supervising one.
...
 Among the causes cited: improper budgeting for employee costs.

Improper budgeting for employee costs. At a transportation agency.

Payroll is among the most basic expenses a board should understand. An agency unable to budget reliably for its employees has no business asking taxpayers to trust its projections for transportation's future. City Council member Mike Gay called this "red flags of a failing business." Why did council have to say what the board should have been confronting?
...
The mayor's office offered an extraordinary explanation: The board "was not previously aware of the dire nature of the agency's financial situation."

That is an admission of failure. Directors cannot claim authority to approve budgets while disclaiming responsibility for knowing whether the bills can be paid. ...

If management withheld information from the board, identify what, by whom and for how long. If reassuring reports proved unreliable, release them. If warnings appeared in board materials, explain why they failed to produce effective action. Show Jacksonville the record.
...
JTA now wants flexibility to spend gas-tax money reserved for capital projects on severance and debt — money meant to build Jacksonville's future, paying for the retreat from promises already made.

Before granting any new flexibility, council should require Wallace and the directors responsible for the financial failures at JTA to appear publicly with forecasts, reports and meeting records. When did they see the shortfall developing? When did they learn of unpaid bills? What corrective action did they demand? What justified continued autonomous spending after ridership results arrived? Answers should come with dates and documents.
...
The next CEO will inherit this crisis. Before choosing that person, the board must explain how its oversight will change and why the public should trust it. Employees facing dismissal are bearing the cost of failure. Directors responsible for oversight should explain why keeping their own seats serves the public interest.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PMBeing bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

I don't disagree with either of your points, especially the political angle. However, if the staff was directed by top management to conceal the bad news from the Board, would that be a crime? Either misuse of tax funds, or concealing their misuse?

They article states they are looking at how educational funds were distributed and the relationship between a company given a contract and his wife. These could be illegal in a city/government institution.

Quote from: jaxjags on September 29, 2026, 04:20:48 PMThey article states they are looking at how educational funds were distributed and the relationship between a company given a contract and his wife. These could be illegal in a city/government institution.

I have a feeling it would be horrifying for JTA if the DA were to start untangling some of the consulting contracts related to NAVI.

Knowingly misrepresenting expected ridership, timelines, and other material assumptions in the pursuit of grant monies would also be an area grey enough that an inquest is legitimate, even if it ultimately doesn't produce convictions. If a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich, this one oughta look fairly juicy.

I honestly doubt any charges come out of this, but the traditional oversight mechanisms for JTA have been derelict for a decade, so I'm all for an exposé -- regardless of motivation.

JBJ Article (https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/09/29/ag-subpoenas-jta-requests-trove-of-documents.html?csrc=6398&link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6abc18d8de3a4800012bf302&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawUpD59leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mA3NydGMGYXBwX2lkDzQwOTk2MjYyMzA4NTYwOQABHubddVjZDtwOWI1QxEO62cI9dP6DQTVEU9jkXgRCQ9Ot9v98OVEWIznyBENi_aem_RBEuZEzeMPlLUKt31PtwRw)

QuoteFerguson, who signed the note, wrote that the subpoena is requesting documents from Oct. 1, 2023, to Oct. 21, 2025, along with JTA's tuition reimbursement policy, certain contracts through 2026 with one of the transit agency's organizational development firms and specified communications involving former CEO Nat Ford, his spouse and the owner of that firm.

These are fairly specific requests, not a fishing expedition. Looks like the AG already knows what he is looking for.

Quote"Nobody wanted to challenge Nat Ford," Diamond said. "They didn't want to ask him tough questions. They didn't want to hold him accountable, and Jacksonville does this over and over again. We just (have a) go-along-to-get-along culture in this town and it hurts us, and this time it really hurt us. So we need to get comfortable with holding people accountable."

Nailed it.

I didn't read the full article.

That first highlighted segment is related to the former board member's concern over educational reimbursements/grants for employees. Think I mentioned that was one of the relatively minor expenditures that the former board member cited as possibly not on the level. It was brought up in a (public) board meeting at the time.

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 06:29:11 PMI didn't read the full article.

That first highlighted segment is related to the former board member's concern over educational reimbursements/grants for employees. Think I mentioned that was one of the relatively minor expenditures that the former board member cited as possibly not on the level. It was brought up in a (public) board meeting at the time.

Yes, one of the requests is related to the tuition reimbursement thing linked to the current interim CEO (and possibly others). The other part referenced above is seeking more information on contracts, as well as communication between Ford and his wife and one specific contractor.

This Action New Jax has more information on what was requested. Action New Jax Story (https://cmg-cmg-tv-10050-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/news/local/murals-massages-more-jta-spending-subject-state-criminal-investigation/UINCIUPPIJDC3EVCO7OEJ7VOL4/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

QuoteThe statewide prosecutor is seeking copies of contracts between JTA and Dream Builders Consulting, Jones-Worley Designs, Jacobs Project Management Company and Mason Nye Murals.

According to Jones-Worley Designs' website, the company designed JTA's NAVI logo and shuttle wrap design.

Action News Jax previously reported on an Inspector General's report that looked into JTA's contract with Mason Nye Murals to paint the agency's Myrtle Avenue Operation Campus in 2024.

That report found the contract included "exorbitant" travel and lodging expenses and suggested the company may have gotten insider information to help it land the job.

The statewide prosecutor is also requesting all communications between outgoing CEO Nat Ford, his wife, and the CEO of Dream Builders Consulting, a company that provides executive coaching.

Additionally, the subpoena requests contracts related to wellness services, including massages, tuition reimbursement policies and spending, along with ridership numbers for JTA services including the NAVI.

The Business Journal has a complete list of the material in the subpoena

QuoteAll the records requested by the subpoena to the interim CEO cover a period between Oct. 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025, with some exceptions specified in the request. The subpoena, signed off by attorney Richard Mantei, requests the following documents:

    JTA Board meeting minutes and recording for Feb. 7, 2025
    JTA Board meeting packets
    Any and all charges or payments approved by Charles Frazier after Dec. 31, 2023
    Any Request for Proposal and/or contract related to "wellness" services including massage
    Number and cost of massages provided pursuant to c "above"
    Contracts with Dreambuilders/Dreambuilders Consulting (2023-2026)
    Contracts with Jones-Worley Designs
    Contracts with Jacobs Project Management Company
    Contracts with Mason Nye Murals
    JTA payables to/for Mason Nye Murals
    Purchasing card policy including any revisions thereto
    Purchasing card statements
    Tuition reimbursement policy (to include 2026)
    Names and amounts of any scholarship or tuition reimbursement awarded to any JTA employee or board member
    Public Transportation Ridership Reports to the American Public Transport Association, including (but not limited to) NAVI program ridership

Additionally, the subpoena asks for a slew of text, email and other application-based communications, ordering JTA to turn over the following items:

    All text, application-based, and email communications (including attachments) received or sent between or among the accounts of Kenston Griffin, Nat Ford and Janet Walker-Ford.
    All emails, including attachments, from the account of Nat Ford dated March 3, 2025
    All text, application-based, and email communications received or sent between or among Cleveland Ferguson and Angela Hamilton related to scholarships and tuition.
    All emails containing the term "Mason Nye Murals" or referencing any contract with Mason Nye Murals

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/09/29/ag-subpoenas-jta-requests-trove-of-documents.html?ana=e_JA_me&j=47718249&senddate=2026-09-30&empos=p6

Quick AI read, based on the requested documents, on what the Attorney General is pressing on. Certainly doesn't sound good. Less about a single suspect contract, and more about an underlying culture of falsification and shady procurement. JEA all over again, if true.

---

Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution has subpoenaed a broad set of JTA financial records, contracts and internal communications, primarily covering October 2023–March 2025.

The specificity of the requests suggests investigators are examining several distinct issues:

* Ridership reporting — particularly NAVI: Prosecutors want JTA's ridership reports to the American Public Transportation Association, including NAVI. This follows public questions about discrepancies between internal and externally reported ridership figures. Investigators could compare underlying ridership data with what JTA reported to its board and outside organizations to determine if JTA lied about NAVI's ridership.
* What JTA leadership knew and communicated about overall ridership: Prosecutors requested all of Nat Ford's emails from March 3, 2025, the day JTA says it distributed answers to questions raised at the February board meeting, including questions concerning ridership. They also requested the relevant board meeting records.
* Dream Builders and potential relationships/conflicts: Investigators want Dream Builders contracts through 2026 and communications among consultant Kenston Griffin, Nat Ford and Ford's wife, Janet Walker-Ford. The inclusion of Ford's spouse makes this appear broader than a routine review of consulting expenses.
* Mason Nye mural procurement: Jacksonville's Inspector General previously identified unusual similarities between Mason Nye's winning prices and JTA's confidential cost estimates, while stopping short of finding that information had actually been leaked. Prosecutors now want the contracts, payments and all emails mentioning Mason Nye.
* Executive spending and purchasing cards: The subpoena seeks JTA's P-card policies, statements and all charges/payments approved by Charles Frazier after 2023, potentially allowing investigators to determine who spent public money, who authorized it and whether purchases complied with policy.
* Massages/wellness spending: Investigators want the procurement documents, contracts, number of massages actually provided and their cost—allowing them to compare what JTA purchased, paid for and received.
* Tuition and scholarships: Prosecutors want JTA's tuition policies, every recipient and amount, and communications involving Cleveland Ferguson and Angela Hamilton about tuition/scholarships. This could examine whether benefits and exceptions were awarded consistently with JTA policy.
* Other major vendors: Contracts with Jones-Worley Designs and Jacobs Project Management were specifically subpoenaed as well, suggesting the investigation may extend into additional procurement and contracting decisions.

The common thread: Investigators appear to be examining not simply whether JTA spent excessively, but whether procurement was conducted properly, spending followed agency policy, potential conflicts existed, and information provided by senior leadership to the board or outside organizations accurately reflected the underlying records.

Doing some digging on the Mason Nye mural procurement. This story is wild.

QuoteThe investigation began with an anonymous tip alleging that JTA officials had preselected Mason Nye Murals for a $141,040 project and later attempted to conceal the spending through an improper budget category. The Jacksonville Inspector General subsequently found that Mason Nye's pricing came in less than $500 below the next closest bidder, and just dollars below JTA's confidential internal cost estimate on each and every mural line item, concluding it was "highly unlikely" the company could have arrived at those figures without access to the confidential estimate, although the IG could not prove a leak occurred. The Brooklyn-based contractor's proposal also included approximately $68,000 in travel, lodging and related expenses for the 3-month project, nearly half the total project cost.

Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution is now seeking Mason Nye's contracts, payments and all JTA emails involving the company, potentially allowing investigators to determine whether inside information was actually provided and by whom.

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

I am a Deegan fan.  I would say this type of investigation is not about her, it's about Nat Ford.  In fact, if it highlights or proves malfeasance on the part of any JTA officials, Deegan has an out that she, along with the board and City Council, were misinformed, misled, tricked, lied to, or worse, leading to the "surprises" now showing up at JTA.

The ultimate reason for an investigation, aside from conveying accountability for any wrong doings, is learning how JTA ended up here and, lessons learned, how this can be prevented in the future, not only with JTA, but all arms, entities, departments, etc. of City government. 

As Diamond (another rare agreement with him here  ;D ) rightfully calls out, we have a "go along to get a long" culture of boards not asking the hard questions, rubber stamping whatever comes before them.  Basically, acting as lipstick on a pig. Part of it is the partisan world we live in where no matter what someone brings up, half the people pounce on it and the other half keeps silent.  Makes people "afraid" to take a position in public on anything.  It's also why some people say this culture leads to authoritarianism or worse.  Proof is in today's pudding.

WJXT is reporting an allegation from a former employee - a victim of one of the RIFs - who claims that JTA inflated ridership numbers on NAVI and the Skyway. We've heard the NAVI claims before, as well as JTA's non-denial ('They were there to assist customers, or answer questions.')

The Skyway charges are new.

QuoteThe former employee also alleged that Skyway stations remained open when trains were not operating, allowing turnstiles to count people entering the stations even if they did not board a train.

"There are several times where there isn't a train running on one end of the Skyway or the other," the former employee said. "That way, we could report inflated numbers to the federal government for budget money."

This isn't really a denial; notice how they change the framing:

QuoteJTA disputes that claim, saying Skyway riders are counted when they enter and exit the system through turnstiles, not when they board individual trains.

The agency said turnstile counts are collected daily at the close of business. JTA also said stations are secured each evening and that the turnstiles are located behind locked, roll-down gates.

JTA says they don't count passengers when they board a train, but when they pass through the turnstiles. - Not only is this not a denial, but a confirmation of the claim.
Then JTA says that after hours, the turnstiles are behind locked gates. This does not address the claim, that when the trains are operating, but not serving certain stations, those stations (the "roll-down gates") are left open, and people can pass through the turnstiles. Why? Perhaps to get out of the sun or rain, who knows? Eventually, those people would use the turnstiles to exit the station, providing balanced "in" and "out" numbers.

QuoteRidership data is among the information criminal investigators are seeking in the attorney general's subpoena, which covers records from October 2023 through October 2025.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/09/30/former-jta-employee-alleges-agency-inflated-skyway-navi-ridership-numbers/

These allegations deserve to be investigated.

This feels worse and worse with every detail. Like it feels like this could end up worse than JEA.

I feel like this could end up really bad for Deegan. I realize she only had 3 appointments and didn't meddle in their day to day like Curry did with JEA. But man, how on earth could she not see this was going to be a disaster?

Quote from: Steve on September 30, 2026, 10:25:52 PMThis feels worse and worse with every detail. Like it feels like this could end up worse than JEA.

I feel like this could end up really bad for Deegan. I realize she only had 3 appointments and didn't meddle in their day to day like Curry did with JEA. But man, how on earth could she not see this was going to be a disaster?

Not even remotely similar or at scale.

Everything alleged is relatively small, run of the mill, bad conduct that people aren't exactly surprised occurs at big institutions like this. Not good, of course, but could likely be found to certain degrees in various notable institutions around town. Favoritism is basically what is being alleged.

Except for fudging ridership numbers/data. That could lead to credibility issues with grants, funding, etc.

However, a Mayor secretly scheming to sell JEA - and all the craziness that went with it - is leaps and bounds a bigger deal.

JEA was a multi-billion dollar scheme. JTA is $40 million in the hole. Not even comparable.

I will say, if they inflated the Skyway and NAVI numbers, it could be another nail in the coffin for both of them if they aren't already on life support.  I could see them both sink or swim together, not separately, since NAVI was to be integrated into the Skyway as a justification to keep investing in both of them AND JTA managed/mismanaged both projects.  Vultures may not be willing to separate the two at this point.

Inflated projections are also what led to both of these projects being funded over the years in the first place.  Deflating the publicized numbers, already well below those funding projections, serves to support even more the resistance to continuing to invest in them.

I can't imagine any elected official, today, sticking their neck out to advocate for spending hundreds of millions on these projects with this context and in this economic and political environment.

You know by now my position... good riddance to both of them. 

Re: JEA vs JTA.

I think it depends on how you look at them.

JEA was clearly the bigger scandal, based on what we currently know. But at the end of the day, it'll be a footnote in the city's history with little real consequence for Jacksonville.

JTA was only $40 million, yes, but the collateral damage is potentially much, much, much larger. The Skyway may never run again. NAVI was built on lies. Our most vulnerable population is looking at greatly reduced bus service. The DA is now involved. And we may end up on the hook for millions in grant repayments while simultaneously getting ourselves blacklisted from future federal grants. Throw in the loss of the historic $125 million Emerald Trail grant and a dubious $30 million loan against future option gas tax dollars that are meant to improve equity and mobility for the city, and this one is looking reallllly bad to me.

Buck stops with Ford, but PLENTY of blame to go around. And there's also way more to the story in terms of who knew what, when. Won't name names, but I've heard Council Members and city officials openly discussing JTA's impending financial implosion since at least the spring.

Mayor bears blame for championing Ford and not stopping to question the absurdity of NAVI, but I don't think it's the type of issue that's going to swing an election.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 01, 2026, 12:47:41 AMI will say, if they inflated the Skyway and NAVI numbers, it could be another nail in the coffin for both of them if they aren't already on life support.  I could see them both sink or swim together, not separately, since NAVI was to be integrated into the Skyway as a justification to keep investing in both of them AND JTA managed/mismanaged both projects.  Vultures may not be willing to separate the two at this point.

Inflated projections are also what led to both of these projects being funded over the years in the first place.  Deflating the publicized numbers, already well below those funding projections, serves to support even more the resistance to continuing to invest in them.

I can't imagine any elected official, today, sticking their neck out to advocate for spending hundreds of millions on these projects with this context and in this economic and political environment.

You know by now my position... good riddance to both of them. 

I know your position, but you're latching on to anything to lead to a preconceived opinion. The investigation doesn't go back to a decade ago, when the Skyway was operating at its peak before the U2C/Navi debacle. End of the day, Jax has to get JTA fixed.

I rode the Skyway on a semi-regular basis and there were always people on it (not just homeless). Even if they are pumping up the numbers, people are still riding it. There's rarely an empty train. I can't say the same for NAVI

I wonder what is going on in Dallas since this story broke?

Quote from: thelakelander on September 30, 2026, 11:57:42 PMJEA was a multi-billion dollar scheme. JTA is $40 million in the hole. Not even comparable.

It'll come out with due time, but the NAVI/U2C scheme cost JTA way more than $40M. You also have to consider the sheer opportunity cost that JTA has wasted & how brazen this entire thing has been. The entire department was just set back more than a decade. This whole scheme is nearly a decade running now... I don't think it's crazy to suggest this is a JEA level story at all. How much do you value the lost Emerald Trail contract? Add it all up & the loss here is easily $100M+.

At the end of the day, JEA was/is still mostly functional. JTA will need a complete reset. What value do you put on that?

^This is what I meant - should have clarified.

Of course the sheer dollar amount for JEA was larger if the plan wasn't stopped. But it was stopped. Of course if JEA was sold then it would almost certainly be the worst thing that happened civic-wise in my lifetime. But think about it through the lens of the average disconnected citizen. With JEA, I had power yesterday, I have power today, I'll have power tomorrow. Oh and one guy went to jail for corruption, "but that happens in politics and they're all dirty." When it comes to the fallout, Curry's guy didn't win election. JEA likely played into it, but Daniel Davis also was an awful debater and they ran a stupid campaign....he may have lost anyway.

JTA right now can't make ends meet. Like literally, the whole function that they exist to serve is in question. With JEA, did anyone think that our homes wouldn't be powered or our toilets wouldn't flush? Now part of it is that every citizen needs electric/water/sewer. Not everyone uses JTA's services.

If JTA can't transport anyone, why does the organization exist? Let's look at what may end:

 - NAVI (Okay, that ending is a good thing. Just kidding.)
 - Skyway. Yes I know it has it's haters, but if the thing rots, when's the next time we're going to build a transit river crossing?
 - Bus Service. If we can't make ends meet, bus service may get cut to the point it's not useable. This has economic development ramifications.
 - Emerald Trail. JTA running it always felt funny, and now they're at risk for screwing up the whole thing.
 - Any future plans for transit. Most major transit initiatives have state or federal funding. If you're a federal politician, do you think you're going to line up to give JTA money?

Like at this point, I almost wonder if the best plan is to truly dissolve what is JTA, develop a new transit agency, route the 1/2 cent sales tax they get to them, and have them take over transit only. Eliminate the highway portion....other cities don't have their transit organization doing highways and somehow they build bridges.

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 01, 2026, 08:30:32 AM

Quote from: thelakelander on September 30, 2026, 11:57:42 PMJEA was a multi-billion dollar scheme. JTA is $40 million in the hole. Not even comparable.

It'll come out with due time, but the NAVI/U2C scheme cost JTA way more than $40M. You also have to consider the sheer opportunity cost that JTA has wasted & how brazen this entire thing has been. The entire department was just set back more than a decade. This whole scheme is nearly a decade running now... I don't think it's crazy to suggest this is a JEA level story at all. How much do you value the lost Emerald Trail contract? Add it all up & the loss here is easily $100M+.

At the end of the day, JEA was/is still mostly functional. JTA will need a complete reset. What value do you put on that?

JTA screwing up the trail funding, while arguably incompetent, is unrelated to anything being alleged.

One thing to keep in mind is that we still have absolutely zero idea what the final findings are of JTA's scandal.  There are some very specific requests that look like there are one or more whistleblowers pointing to investigators directly to issues, but it is also very possible that more whistleblowers come forward and investigators find our more after receiving materials from the subpoena. There are several red flags in the subpoena that, depending on what the records show, could turn this into a much larger scandal.

That said, I don't think you can really compare it to JEA. The PUP scheme is almost impossible to match in terms of sheer scale, greed, and audacity. The more interesting comparison may ultimately be the condition the two agencies were left in. Nat Ford's tenure could end up leaving JTA in a considerably worse financial position than JEA or COJ would have been in had the JEA sale actually gone through.

I've said this before and still believe it: selling JEA to NextEra/FPL could have been an enormous financial opportunity for Jacksonville. The people running JEA got greedy and blew it with the PUP scheme.

The NextEra offer would have generated approximately $6.45 billion in net proceeds for Jacksonville. Under Curry's proposal, roughly $2.2 billion would have been used to eliminate City debt, leaving approximately $4.25 billion available for investment or other public purposes. At the time, JEA was contributing roughly $120 million annually to the City's general fund. It would take more than 35 years of $120 million annual contributions just to equal $4.25 billion and that ignores the investment earnings that $4.25 billion could have generated. On top of that, eliminating approximately $2.2 billion in City debt was projected to save roughly $240 million annually in debt service.

And it is not just beneficial to the City as an financial windfall. Jax residents probably would have probably received better utility services. FPL is more aggressive at retrofitting existing neighborhoods with undergrounding than JEA is and their utility rates are currently slightly lower than JEA's are.

Even with the PUP, Jax would have been incredibly cash flush with no debts and able to make some major capital investments. MOSH funding? No problem. Larger match to get UF here quicker? No worries. Incentives for corporate relocations? Easy.

JTA on the other hand, post Ford/NAVI/U2C is in horrendous shape.

So basically, the JEA scheme is likely worse as a criminal fraud case, but JTA is possibly a worse mismanagement of a public agency.

Quote from: Steve on October 01, 2026, 08:44:40 AMLike at this point, I almost wonder if the best plan is to truly dissolve what is JTA, develop a new transit agency, route the 1/2 cent sales tax they get to them, and have them take over transit only. Eliminate the highway portion....other cities don't have their transit organization doing highways and somehow they build bridges.

This is essentially what I also advocated for in a prior post.  JTA should only be for MASS transit which should be defined as moving a minimum number of people per vehicle, per hour on a given mode, and/or along those lines. No half dozen to a dozen people at a time, a few times in a day.

All road building should go to another agency or the City's public works department.

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 01, 2026, 08:30:32 AM

Quote from: thelakelander on September 30, 2026, 11:57:42 PMJEA was a multi-billion dollar scheme. JTA is $40 million in the hole. Not even comparable.

It'll come out with due time, but the NAVI/U2C scheme cost JTA way more than $40M. You also have to consider the sheer opportunity cost that JTA has wasted & how brazen this entire thing has been. The entire department was just set back more than a decade. This whole scheme is nearly a decade running now... I don't think it's crazy to suggest this is a JEA level story at all. How much do you value the lost Emerald Trail contract? Add it all up & the loss here is easily $100M+.

At the end of the day, JEA was/is still mostly functional. JTA will need a complete reset. What value do you put on that?

If you look at actual CASH lost, JEA was fortunately stopped short of actually losing cash on its corrupt scheme.  (The real CASH scandal at JEA should be over the Vogel nuclear plant deal.)

JTA actually spent north of $65 million and counting on its wasteful projects PLUS lost the $147 million Fed dollars for the Emerald Trail.  And, they lost about $15 million a year supporting NAVI and the Skyway. And, tens of millions more mismanaging JTA. That's easily over $250 million in taxpayer CASH out the door.  If Nat Ford hadn't left and the "hidden" losses hadn't surfaced, all in with the above, JTA could have blown way over $400 to $600 million unchecked.  And, that doesn't count opportunity costs arising from a poorly run bus system or the lack of other useful mass transit options that could have been benefiting the City's economy. 

So, based on a CASH basis, one has to conclude that the ACTUAL lasting damage from JTA is far worse than JEA.

Quote from: thelakelander on October 01, 2026, 06:35:58 AM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 01, 2026, 12:47:41 AMI will say, if they inflated the Skyway and NAVI numbers, it could be another nail in the coffin for both of them if they aren't already on life support.  I could see them both sink or swim together, not separately, since NAVI was to be integrated into the Skyway as a justification to keep investing in both of them AND JTA managed/mismanaged both projects.  Vultures may not be willing to separate the two at this point.

Inflated projections are also what led to both of these projects being funded over the years in the first place.  Deflating the publicized numbers, already well below those funding projections, serves to support even more the resistance to continuing to invest in them.

I can't imagine any elected official, today, sticking their neck out to advocate for spending hundreds of millions on these projects with this context and in this economic and political environment.

You know by now my position... good riddance to both of them. 

I know your position, but you're latching on to anything to lead to a preconceived opinion. The investigation doesn't go back to a decade ago, when the Skyway was operating at its peak before the U2C/Navi debacle. End of the day, Jax has to get JTA fixed.

A decade ago, and for the entire life of the Skyway, it has failed to come anywhere near the traffic projections used to initiate the project.  What you call "peak" is still totally inadequate against the projections used to justify the Skyway.  I brought them up to give context to how low, today and always, the traffic numbers are, even as inflated, vs. any measure used to justify continuing it.

The only point I can understand, maybe, to support the Skyway is making use of the river crossing.  That said, I have yet to see a case that makes use of it in a feasible, cost effective, efficient manner.  You could run a lot of buses over the bridges for just the cost of interest on financing the Skyway's capex to repurpose the crossings.  Let's start with a robust shuttle between the Southbank/San Marco and Downtown and see what demand there is for that.  It could go far more places than the Skyway, carry more people, make more headways, cost far less to operate and support, and be implemented on only a few days notice if desired.  I would suggest the same model could replace the Skyway everywhere else it runs and beyond.

P.S.  I also get the "sex appeal" of an above grade track but Jax is so far from having Downtown traffic making that necessary or worthwhile, I don't see that investment to sustain same justifiable in the next few decades. FYI, I find I can drive through the heart of Downtown in the middle of any weekday in less than 5 minutes.  It's quicker than driving the same distance in the suburbs  ;D .

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 01, 2026, 01:12:27 PMA decade ago, and for the entire life of the Skyway, it has failed to come anywhere near the traffic projections used to initiate the project.  What you call "peak" is still totally inadequate against the projections used to justify the Skyway.  I brought them up to give context to how low, today and always, the traffic numbers are, even as inflated, vs. any measure used to justify continuing it.

The only point I can understand, maybe, to support the Skyway is making use of the river crossing.  That said, I have yet to see a case that makes use of it in a feasible, cost effective, efficient manner.  You could run a lot of buses over the bridges for just the cost of interest on financing the Skyway's capex to repurpose the crossings.  Let's start with a robust shuttle between the Southbank/San Marco and Downtown and see what demand there is for that.  It could go far more places than the Skyway, carry more people, make more headways, cost far less to operate and support, and be implemented on only a few days notice if desired.  I would suggest the same model could replace the Skyway everywhere else it runs and beyond.

P.S.  I also get the "sex appeal" of an above grade track but Jax is so far from having Downtown traffic making that necessary or worthwhile, I don't see that investment to sustain same justifiable in the next few decades. FYI, I find I can drive through the heart of Downtown in the middle of any weekday in less than 5 minutes.  It's quicker than driving the same distance in the suburbs  ;D .

From the mid 1970s to when the Skyway crossed the river, JTA ran three downtown shuttle bus routes, one went near Five Points via Riverside, one to remote parking lots in the Sports Complex, and one crossed the Main Street Bridge to the Southbank. This route served MOSH/Friendship Park, west to the old Prudential building and Baptist Hospital, then east along Prudential Drive (serving park-ride lots on either side of South Main Street), the hotel (then a Sheraton) on what is now Riverplace Blvd., then back to the Main Street Bridge via (then called) Gulf Life Drive (serving the Gulf Life tower and the Hilton Hotel).

There were two operational problems with this route: the FECRR would block the buses, sometimes for long periods; and, less frequently, raising the Main Street Bridge for boats. The Skyway doesn't have those problems. These issues made keeping consistent headways difficult to impossible. Instead of buses coming every 10 minutes (or whatever), there would be two buses together, then 20-30 minutes until the next bus.

After the Skyway began service to the Southbank, JTA ran a shuttle to the San Marco shopping area. Again, the FECRR made this service unreliable, especially at lunch time, and it was dropped.

Quote from: CityLife on October 01, 2026, 09:21:10 AMThe NextEra offer would have generated approximately $6.45 billion in net proceeds for Jacksonville. Under Curry's proposal, roughly $2.2 billion would have been used to eliminate City debt, leaving approximately $4.25 billion available for investment or other public purposes. At the time, JEA was contributing roughly $120 million annually to the City's general fund. It would take more than 35 years of $120 million annual contributions just to equal $4.25 billion and that ignores the investment earnings that $4.25 billion could have generated. On top of that, eliminating approximately $2.2 billion in City debt was projected to save roughly $240 million annually in debt service.

Even with the PUP, Jax would have been incredibly cash flush with no debts and able to make some major capital investments. MOSH funding? No problem. Larger match to get UF here quicker? No worries. Incentives for corporate relocations? Easy.

Fully agree that, in a city where no one wants to pay for anything, JEA privatization is a conversation that should have been explored, and it's a shame that the well was so badly poisoned by Curry, Zahn, Baker and the like that we probably won't be able to have honest talks about the idea for a long, long time to come. Unfortunate, because I can't imagine bids coming in as high in 2026 with Plant Vogtle pulling things down.

I've gone back and forth on whether it's the right move. I think Curry's framing, and the above math, does leave out an important piece. Jacksonville's got ~$2 billion in bonded debt, which a JEA sale could have wiped out. But we'll never be debt-free as a city when we're sitting underneath another $3 billion in pension obligations. Depending on how you do the math, your trust in Jacksonville's leadership to properly steward that money (my trust is less than 0%), and our confidence that NextEra won't look to recoup their full purchase price at the expense of ratepayers, that lump sum could turn into less a windfall that propels Jacksonville into the future, and more a high-interest loan the city taken out against its own citizens' future utility payments.

Would love to see an independent analysis by an outside party, just so we know what we're sitting on.

^Local history has proven that the people in charge and influence would have siphoned most of that JEA money. So the windfall without ethics is a bit fool's gold. I'll reiterate with JTA specifically, just clean house at the executive level, right the ship and then we can talk and plan for the future in an unbiased way. We're just not going to get there with the same people who put the organization in the $40 million deficit, remaining in place.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 01, 2026, 01:12:27 PMA decade ago, and for the entire life of the Skyway, it has failed to come anywhere near the traffic projections used to initiate the project.  What you call "peak" is still totally inadequate against the projections used to justify the Skyway.  I brought them up to give context to how low, today and always, the traffic numbers are, even as inflated, vs. any measure used to justify continuing it.

I don't care what projections were in the 1970s. At that time, downtown was dense and there were several more thousand people living in LaVilla, Brooklyn, Springfield, Hansontown, Cathedral Hill, etc. in addition to several thousand more Northbank corporate officies. Heck, back then, the shipyards was still around and employing nearly a thousand. That downtown died a long time ago, fueled by local public policy and money that flowed from the core, right out to JTB and the Southside. Understanding the history and relationship of mass transit and land use policy is important.

My general point in mentioning this, is that Skyway ridership numbers were around 5,000 people per day in 2015, that's not under investigation and JTA wasn't in a $40 million hole back then. If we ever got around to coordinating fixed transit operations with supporting land use policies and TOD (like cities so where fixed transit works), the ridership would be higher because you'd develop your system to feed riders into transit spines that may cost more to operate, but move masses of people more efficiently. So I'd be slow to say its the reason JTA suddenly found itself in this financial situation. If we're honest with its ridership, I'd be surprised if any bus route in town actually moves 5,000 people a day now. The entire system is a problem and its on fumes because of horrible management from executive leadership.

QuoteThe only point I can understand, maybe, to support the Skyway is making use of the river crossing.  That said, I have yet to see a case that makes use of it in a feasible, cost effective, efficient manner.  You could run a lot of buses over the bridges for just the cost of interest on financing the Skyway's capex to repurpose the crossings.

Take the name "Skyway" away from the conversation. Its a transit bridge over the river. While repurposing it into a sidewalk would be crazy (we'd still need to build a new transit bridge over the river and it would cost hundreds of millions to convert to/maintain a sidewalk), honest conversations about the future of mass transit in this town should include taking advantage of existing infrastructure and amenities....(like a transit bridge that would cost hundreds of millions today to rebuild or replace). That includes the elevated transit line and its stations. However, I don't think we can have that discussion right now without first overhauling JTA.

QuoteLet's start with a robust shuttle between the Southbank/San Marco and Downtown and see what demand there is for that.  It could go far more places than the Skyway, carry more people, make more headways, cost far less to operate and support, and be implemented on only a few days notice if desired.  I would suggest the same model could replace the Skyway everywhere else it runs and beyond.

A bunch of buses don't stimulate TOD and the additional economic positives that comes from that type of infill development. TOD is an additional revenue stream that can help support transit services. Overhaul JTA executive leadership first and then we can honestly evaluate future transit services citywide and how land use policies can be coordinated to achieve a certain type of vision where ridership supports our transit investments.

QuoteP.S.  I also get the "sex appeal" of an above grade track but Jax is so far from having Downtown traffic making that necessary or worthwhile, I don't see that investment to sustain same justifiable in the next few decades. FYI, I find I can drive through the heart of Downtown in the middle of any weekday in less than 5 minutes.  It's quicker than driving the same distance in the suburbs  ;D .

Fixed transit investment and supporting land use policies go hand-in-hand. Future evaluation needs to prioritize this basic planning concept.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on October 01, 2026, 03:11:48 PM

Quote from: CityLife on October 01, 2026, 09:21:10 AMThe NextEra offer would have generated approximately $6.45 billion in net proceeds for Jacksonville. Under Curry's proposal, roughly $2.2 billion would have been used to eliminate City debt, leaving approximately $4.25 billion available for investment or other public purposes. At the time, JEA was contributing roughly $120 million annually to the City's general fund. It would take more than 35 years of $120 million annual contributions just to equal $4.25 billion and that ignores the investment earnings that $4.25 billion could have generated. On top of that, eliminating approximately $2.2 billion in City debt was projected to save roughly $240 million annually in debt service.

Even with the PUP, Jax would have been incredibly cash flush with no debts and able to make some major capital investments. MOSH funding? No problem. Larger match to get UF here quicker? No worries. Incentives for corporate relocations? Easy.

I've gone back and forth on whether it's the right move. I think Curry's framing, and the above math, does leave out an important piece. Jacksonville's got ~$2 billion in bonded debt, which a JEA sale could have wiped out. But we'll never be debt-free as a city when we're sitting underneath another $3 billion in pension obligations. Depending on how you do the math, your trust in Jacksonville's leadership to properly steward that money (my trust is less than 0%), and our confidence that NextEra won't look to recoup their full purchase price at the expense of ratepayers, that lump sum could turn into less a windfall that propels Jacksonville into the future, and more a high-interest loan the city taken out against its own citizens' future utility payments.

Would love to see an independent analysis by an outside party, just so we know what we're sitting on.

Totally get the skepticism based on how poorly everything is run in Jax. Because of that getting the City out of the utility business is a great thing, imo. JEA made massive mistakes with coal plants in the 80's. It had to retire the SJR Power Park early. Vogtle is a huge mistake. JEA is incredibly far behind at deploying solar and battery storage.

If you adjust on a pro-rata basis based on peak electric demand between the two entities, FPL has 20x more solar output than JEA and 50 times more battery than JEA and I'm sure that gap is growing wider and wider based on what FPL is bringing online.

FPL is simply in an different class than JEA is. Its parent company NextEra is the largest publicly traded company by market cap in Florida and is the largest energy company in the US (not counting oil companies). NextEra is on the cutting edge of everything in the energy industry. It will likely always be 5-10 years ahead of JEA technology wise for these reasons.

Because of that and the sheer scale of the company it's able to provide energy at substantially lower costs than JEA is. Even as a private company with profit margins, FPL's utility rates are lower than JEA. Right now FPL is .5% cheaper. The Florida Public Service Commission also regulates rates, so FPL is limited in how much it can increase rates.

There is certainly a risk that private ownership could ultimately result in higher rates as NextEra seeks to earn a return on its investment. But in my opinion, there is a greater risk that Jaxons remain exposed to the consequences of poor governance, bad financial decisions and future management mistakes under JEA. Unfortunately, due to Zahn, Curry, and Co it will never be on the table anytime soon again.

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 01, 2026, 08:30:32 AMI don't think it's crazy to suggest this is a JEA level story at all. How much do you value the lost Emerald Trail contract? Add it all up & the loss here is easily $100M+.

You mean the grant WON in part by JTA?

The same grant that was rescinded by a federal government that rescinded countless similar projects nationwide - like the Underdeck in Miami?

Quote from: thelakelander on October 01, 2026, 03:41:34 PM^Local history has proven that the people in charge and influence would have siphoned most of that JEA money. So the windfall without ethics is a bit fool's gold. I'll reiterate with JTA specifically, just clean house at the executive level, right the ship and then we can talk and plan for the future in an unbiased way. We're just not going to get there with the same people who put the organization in the $40 million deficit, remaining in place.

Ennis, agree on this.  Sell JEA and a few years later, we will be back to square one without its contribution to the City coffers and taxpayers asking where all the billions went.  JEA is likely the only City asset (not counting City departments like Building and Zoning, Planning, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Parking, etc.) that actually both pays for itself AND returns a "profit" directly back to the City.  Can't say that about the stadium, arena, ballpark, any park, JTA, JPA, JAA, convention center, new jail, courthouse, etc.

Further, aside from the current pension underfunding, which supposedly (but likely falsely) Curry addressed with his deferred sales tax (which is resulting in more additions to the underfunding to be covered), even if the pension was moved to a 401K style plan or the State's pension plan, the obligation to stay on top of it going forward will forever remain and, thus, eat up even more of any available resources the City has.

So, using JEA sale proceeds to cover pension obligations rather than current revenues doesn't solve anything, it just delays the return to the present state of underfunded obligations.  The City needs to discipline itself to pay for current obligations in the current budget cycle and stop kicking cans down the road to cover the sins of current elected officials.  If that means cutting expenses and/or raising taxes to balance each years budget, so be it.

Borrowing from the future for non-capital expenses is foolhardy, akin to going into long term debt to pay for this year's vacation and continuing to do so year after year until.... you owe lots of debt and can no longer put off paying it down.

Quote from: Charles Hunter on October 01, 2026, 02:10:10 PMThere were two operational problems with this route: the FECRR would block the buses, sometimes for long periods; and, less frequently, raising the Main Street Bridge for boats. The Skyway doesn't have those problems. These issues made keeping consistent headways difficult to impossible. Instead of buses coming every 10 minutes (or whatever), there would be two buses together, then 20-30 minutes until the next bus.

After the Skyway began service to the Southbank, JTA ran a shuttle to the San Marco shopping area. Again, the FECRR made this service unreliable, especially at lunch time, and it was dropped.

Charles, three points:

First, buses can use the Acosta or Fuller Warren bridges today.  Neither goes up for boats since being rebuilt from the 1970's.

Second, the Skyway does not cross any railroad tracks so it has no advantage over buses in that regard.

Third, supposedly after spending a few million dollars, the "San Marco train" holdups were reduced or eliminated.  I would add it's hard to go far anywhere in Jacksonville and not encounter a rail crossing.  It's part of what built this City and remains integral to its fabric.  We just need to learn to live with it on some level.  Maybe JTA could even talk with FEC/CSX/NS (wouldn't that be amazing to see!) to learn their train schedules and run buses around them.

^If we ever get to the point of where we can evaluate the overall transit network in an open-minded fashion, it could make sense to extend elevated Skyway infrastructure a few hundred feet south in San Marco to get over the FEC.

Quote from: thelakelander on October 01, 2026, 11:31:20 PM^If we ever get to the point of where we can evaluate the overall transit network in an open-minded fashion, it could make sense to extend elevated Skyway infrastructure a few hundred feet south in San Marco to get over the FEC.

Looking at Google maps, I don't see an easy way to do that.  What path would you take and where would you put the terminal station? 

The best I could see is having it thread the Hilton hotel driveway, cross the retention pond and Kings Road, the railroad, the JEA utilities and land behind the public library.  That's not the most accessible spot.  Would the track have to be raised higher than normal to bridge over the rails to allow for double stacked container rail cars?  Is there room for track separation at the terminal station and for a crossover for vehicle reversals?  Looks very tight to me if it is at all doable.  And, all this at what cost vs. benefit?  The ongoing curse of the Skyway in my book.

^Straight south over Kings and FEC, then immediately drop to grade and terminate at Atlantic Blvd (Between FEC tracks and Southern Grounds) with a ground level no frills boarding platform. It was a part of the 2030 COJ Mobility Plan (completed back in 2010).

As a part of a regional approach (the 2030 Mobility Plan also included streetcar lines, BRT, and commuter rail lines), it was the most logical amd affordable way to provide a premium grade separated transit option over the FEC to connect San Marco to the larger regional network. Unlike what JTA continued to do, eventually blowing their stash with NAVI, it wasn't looked at as an isolated one-off option.

In this sense, forget about the name and type of vehicle running on top of the infrastructure. Instead, focus on how to make existing infrastructure work as a part of a much larger regional strategy.

^ That looks like it would follow the hotel driveway (what would the hotel have to say about that or is that built in to their master plan?) and cut through JEA's water and electric utilities campus as I speculated above.  It would then have to somehow circumvent a building hugging the FEC tracks identified by Google maps as Gulfstream Contracting and then force some kind of change to the track and field at Landon Jr. High.  The proposed end at Southern Grounds appears to also be in use/privately owned.  And, how close can it hug the FEC tracks?  Is there really room for a double track and the separation needed at the end for vehicle reversal? 

Sorry, I don't see this path without a very large right of way cost and other technical issues.  For money, I am sure anything is possible but is it justifiable to my point.  Maybe in 2010 the pathway was clearer and that is now a lost opportunity?

Seems my suggestion to stop short of that behind the public library would be a lot easier to implement if even that could be done.

Sorry, but I think all this is dreaming as I have said before.  I just don't see an appetite anytime soon for expanding the Skyway.  It will be lucky for its proponents if it can just stay close to the way it is for now vs. shutting it down for good.  To your point, perhaps, if JTA had only focused on the Skyway and never pursued NAVI, the Skyway may have had a better chance of survival.  I said all along, NAVI was a potential knockout punch for it and the Skyway.  Two strikes in this case to an out.  Maybe curtailing bus service is strike three.

The average person doesn't have to "see" a path or try to answer the necessary widths, determine ROW needs, minimal turning radius for various technologies and rolling stock, cost estimates, where passing sidings must go, etc.

That's the purpose of doing unbiased planning, analysis and engineering studies, etc. with trained experts in the field. After the house is set back in order at JTA, Jax should start over with visioning what its regional public transportation should be before making any rash +$100 million decisions for any mode.

The one thing I don't get is why the elevated tracks can't be used for another technology. Here in Jacksonville, I feel like they are looked at as only the obsolete cars can run on them, so we might as well tear the tracks down. When I travel to conferences, I always try and ride the streetcars. They are slow as they move in mixed traffic, always stopping for whatever obstacle they encounter on the streets. I usually give up and uber due to time restraints. Having elevated tracks getting out of mixed traffic is such a benefit.

Quote from: jcjohnpaint on October 02, 2026, 07:31:44 AMThe one thing I don't get is why the elevated tracks can't be used for another technology. Here in Jacksonville, I feel like they are looked at as only the obsolete cars can run on them, so we might as well tear the tracks down.

The elevated infrastructure can be used for another technology.

First Diamond, now Howland.  Not usually in agreement with this crew, but on JTA they are "moving my way!" Exception would be cutting back on the Emerald Trail.  That should not be affected by JTA mismanagement.  The Trail is a great economic driver for Downtown and the greater urban area, so a worthwhile infrastructure investment.  Someone needs to release a study on the increased property taxes to be paid based on increased property values in proximity to the Trail.  Could be a better return than incentives given Downtown developers.

QuoteHowland says taxpayer dollars should prioritize services residents use daily.

"I think what we've got to do is we've got to rethink what is optimal transportation for the citizens of Jacksonville and the families and the businesses that depend on that transportation," Howland said. "I personally believe it's going to be optimizing fixed-route busing and paratransit, and it's probably going to be de-optimizing and scaling down things such as NAVI, the Skyway, and even some of the longer unfunded parts of the Emerald Trail. We need to get back to the basics, back to the core, and we need to deliver optimal transportation to the people of Jacksonville."...

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/10/06/jacksonville-leaders-debate-redirecting-30m-in-gas-tax-funds-to-rescue-jta/

^ So obviously I do think we have to optimize the buses and paratransit, hence this thread existing at all, but it does seem worth asking if as a City we're going to take any time to think about why we had to let things get to this point to have realized it was time to change course.

Nick Howland has been on City Council for four and a half years now. When he was previously asked (https://www.scribd.com/document/729957516/Jta-Responses) about the U2C over two and a half years ago, he only had this to say:

QuoteI've really not had time to research in detail the U2C yet. It's been a busy few weeks on Council (Southbank storage, fuel depot, etc) and at The Fire Watch. We're about to announce that Northeast Florida has had the best 3-year veteran suicide reduction in the country. That's why I directed you to Jacoby. I know this is your passion. Can we meet on it in May and you can lay out all the issues with JA? I do want to see what you've learned.

I'd certainly like to know if he feels any regret about having not done that research by being so busy elsewhere. Might have saved some money, apparently!

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 06, 2026, 04:01:57 PMSomeone needs to release a study on the increased property taxes to be paid based on increased property values in proximity to the Trail.  Could be a better return than incentives given Downtown developers.

If Amendment 3 passes next month, I'm not so sure that'll remain true, especially with the presently suburban makeup of many of the neighborhoods outside of Downtown proper that the trails would run through.

I was the prime consultant for COJ's Durkeeville Revitalization Study in 2025. During the process of getting under contract in 2024, I had a few council members question my selection.

In a private meeting, one un-named CM who isn't on council anymore, told me he knew I was qualified but was upset about me publicly speaking out against the U2C. My immediate response was that "I don't know what that has to do with the Durkeeville study, but yeah I'm against it and if you want to question me about my position, I'm your Huckleberry.

I'm a professional in the industry and you're a politician. I'll rip you to shreads and anyone else behind it."

That NAVI convo immediately ended and the guy never questioned me again on it.

I smell ignorance with a lot of elected city leaders around the transportation talk. A bunch of buzz words without rational technical data to guide rash decisions.

I'd love for someone to post the top 10 to 20 transit routes in this town (regardless of technology), by ridership. Lets really see what essential services that the majority of transit users really looks like and then go from there.

As for many of these projects, there's another word I'll say is needed that many advocates will hate to hear. Its "value engineering." Budgets only stretch so much. We'll need to learn how to do more with less. That can easily be done without sacrificing quality. There are a lot of creative opportunities out there, once we reach the point to where we accept that fiscal reality.

Quote from: thelakelander on October 06, 2026, 06:17:55 PMI was the prime consultant for COJ's Durkeeville Revitalization Study in 2025. During the process of getting under contract in 2024, I had a few council members question my selection.

In a private meeting, one un-named CM who isn't on council anymore, told me he knew I was qualified but was upset about me publicly speaking out against the U2C. My immediate response was that "I don't know what that has to do with the Durkeeville study, but yeah I'm against it and if you want to question me about my position, I'm your Huckleberry.

I'm a professional in the industry and you're a politician. I'll rip you to shreads and anyone else behind it."

That NAVI convo immediately ended and the guy never questioned me again on it.

I smell ignorance with a lot of elected city leaders around the transportation talk. A bunch of buzz words without rational technical data to guide rash decisions.

I'd love for someone to post the top 10 to 20 transit routes in this town (regardless of technology), by ridership. Lets really see what essential services that the majority of transit users really looks like and then go from there.

👏👏👏

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

As predicted, the fishing expedition has begun.

By many accounts, including those on city council, the significant decisions/discussion regarding these issues date back to 2021, but the subpoena only dates back to 2023.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 01:57:51 PM

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

As predicted, the fishing expedition has begun.

By many accounts, including those on city council, the significant decisions/discussion regarding these issues date back to 2021, but the subpoena only dates back to 2023.

Yeah, it's probably better just to let it go than have a partisan AG investigate. That's been working out swell for the city and JTA for the past decade.

Pardon my sarcasm, but at this point any semblance of oversight is welcome news, even if the motivation is partisan. Deegan's recent order recommending optional training on financial responsibility and ethics begs the question, is this training not already required? I've been required to complete that type of training since I was an entry-level worker, yet we have JTA board members whose lack of financial sense is being attributed to a lack of HR-mandated annual courses? We allow the CEO to submit financials without certifying their accuracy? That's beyond farcical.

I'm a fan of Deegan's but her position on U2C is indefensible. If partisans are able to score political points because of it, that's on her. Plenty of feedback reached her and her office begging for a different result, and it fell on deaf ears.

Ethics training is required currently.

I suspect this will elevate the importance of these volunteer positions and the thoughtfulness of those who appoint and confirm (mayor, governor, city council) to these positions.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 03:31:56 PMI'm a fan of Deegan's but her position on U2C is indefensible. If partisans are able to score political points because of it, that's on her. Plenty of feedback reached her and her office begging for a different result, and it fell on deaf ears.

It's not indefensible. It's the same reason why this same city council, JAX Chamber, last mayoral administration, all but 1 JTA board member, etc all supported it......... until *now*. They all trusted the CEO to be competent.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 05:59:26 PMEthics training is required currently.

I suspect this will elevate the importance of these volunteer positions and the thoughtfulness of those who appoint and confirm (mayor, governor, city council) to these positions.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 03:31:56 PMI'm a fan of Deegan's but her position on U2C is indefensible. If partisans are able to score political points because of it, that's on her. Plenty of feedback reached her and her office begging for a different result, and it fell on deaf ears.

It's not indefensible. It's the same reason why this same city council, JAX Chamber, last mayoral administration, all but 1 JTA board member, etc all supported it......... until *now*. They all trusted the CEO to be competent.

U2C was a stupid idea from day one due to expense, capacity, unproven technology, and limited TOD. But one organization that deserves its fair share of the blame for this, and many other failed downtown projects, is DVI. I've said it many times, but the State of Downtown Report is one of the most damaging, disingenuous documents produced in Jacksonville.

U2C, and more specifically the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, was sold up the river to the Feds as a connector based on an imaginary $3 billion pipeline of Shipyards, Lot J, Convention Center, Ford on Bay, Berkman 2, and Laura Street Trio projects, zero of which have come out of the ground nearly a decade later. Jake Gordon famously said that when including projects, "the tie goes to the runner." In this case, that generous positioning helped propagandize this insane albatross that we're now paying for with every dollar of gas we buy.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 05:59:26 PMEthics training is required currently.

I suspect this will elevate the importance of these volunteer positions and the thoughtfulness of those who appoint and confirm (mayor, governor, city council) to these positions.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 03:31:56 PMI'm a fan of Deegan's but her position on U2C is indefensible. If partisans are able to score political points because of it, that's on her. Plenty of feedback reached her and her office begging for a different result, and it fell on deaf ears.

It's not indefensible. It's the same reason why this same city council, JAX Chamber, last mayoral administration, all but 1 JTA board member, etc all supported it......... until *now*. They all trusted the CEO to be competent.

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

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.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on October 07, 2026, 06:47:42 PMBut one organization that deserves its fair share of the blame for this, and many other failed downtown projects, is DVI. I've said it many times, but the State of Downtown Report is one of the most damaging, disingenuous documents produced in Jacksonville.

U2C, and more specifically the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, was sold up the river to the Feds as a connector based on an imaginary $3 billion pipeline of Shipyards, Lot J, Convention Center, Ford on Bay, Berkman 2, and Laura Street Trio projects, zero of which have come out of the ground nearly a decade later. Jake Gordon famously said that when including projects, "the tie goes to the runner." In this case, that generous positioning helped propagandize this insane albatross that we're now paying for with every dollar of gas we buy.

I would suggest that DVI has done more to hold back Downtown than move it forward.  Why?  It appears, first and foremost, to be a mouthpiece paid to promote Downtown, regardless of what is truly happening, not actually "visioning" Downtown as its name would suggest.  As such, it has little credibility with anyone that matters due to overpromising and underdelivering while quality Downtown "visioning" never actually gets addressed.

DVI is also so narrowly focused on Downtown that it fails to collaborate/incorporate/appreciate that Downtown is part of the greater urban area and that a rising tide raises all boats.  I have never seen DVI reach out to surrounding neighborhoods to create partnerships that might feed patrons into Downtown.  DVI treats Downtown as an "island" in the urban stream as if it was self sufficient, not interdependent.

DVI has little to no clout with retaining or attracting companies and, historically, there have been few residents to "organize" within Downtown's borders. I am assuming Visit Jacksonville takes care of tourism. So, who exactly, do they impact/assist/etc.?

Not saying DVI has done zero but events and ambassadors are temporal in nature, not foundational improvements, so not what Downtown really needs to move the needle.  As such, I don't see any lasting legacy from its existence. 

I would rather see a JUVI, "Jacksonville Urban Visioning, Inc." that is charged with organizing a real visioning process that includes master planning and a holistic view that exploits the synergies that could be built by incorporating and interconnecting with the entire urban environment.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMIf 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.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMThe 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.

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

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 08:43:11 PM

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMIf 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.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on September 19, 2026, 10:59:20 PM

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 19, 2026, 08:28:29 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on September 18, 2026, 07:38:23 AMStart 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.

Quote from: Charles Hunter on October 07, 2026, 09:57:16 PM

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 08:43:11 PM

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMIf 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.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 08:43:11 PM

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMIf 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.

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 07:08:54 PMThe 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.

Quote from: blizz01 on October 07, 2026, 09:18:39 PMHow are they not flipping their sh!t in Dallas?

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

QuoteIncoming 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:

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

Quote from: jaxoNOLE on October 07, 2026, 10:39:11 PMI 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.

^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.

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.

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 08, 2026, 01:56:58 PMThis 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.

^ 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.

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 08, 2026, 04:33:05 PM^ 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.

Quote from: Ken_FSU on October 08, 2026, 05:32:12 PM

Quote from: Jax_Developer on October 08, 2026, 04:33:05 PM^ 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.

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.

QuoteIt 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. 

A very salient point. Which is just one more reason why it sucks that JAX Mayors have a two term term limit.

I have seen a number of mayors make a profound difference in their cities. Differences that last generations. Very few of them served only two terms.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 01:57:51 PM

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

As predicted, the fishing expedition has begun.

By many accounts, including those on city council, the significant decisions/discussion regarding these issues date back to 2021, but the subpoena only dates back to 2023.

The subpoena directly aligns with Megan Hayward's term on the JTA Board. She joined in October 2023 and left in March 2025. The subpoena requests documents from October 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025.

Seems pretty clear she is working with the Florida AG.

This new article is interesting. It notes that Hayward raised concerns to the Mayor about a contract and Nat Ford's wife. It's presumably the same contract being subpoenaed (Dreambuilders Consulting). Hayward also claims she was going to vote out the U2C project and that is why she was removed. Action New Jax (https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/mayors-office-notes-raise-new-questions-about-jta-warning-signs-amid-state-investigation/2K4G3H4RYFHAJPIGZSHX4Y4MWI/)

QuoteAction News Jax's Ben Becker has obtained handwritten notes from Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's office that are now part of the Florida Attorney General's investigation into the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

The notes, which the mayor's office previously argued were personal and not public records, were subpoenaed by the Attorney General on Tuesday to document a March 2025 meeting between Deegan and former JTA board member Megan Hayward.

Deegan has maintained their meeting primarily centered on declining ridership and concerns about a contract involving outgoing JTA CEO Nat Ford's wife.

However, the handwritten, one page of notes taken by a mayoral staffer suggest the discussion may have extended beyond those topics.

Among the entries are references to CEO evaluations, employee turnover, and one notation that reads: "U2C $800 million Skyway."

Last month, Hayward suggested her opposition to the project played a role in her removal from the board and that Deegan was aware of her financial concerns.

Hayward: "And because she knew I was going to vote off the U2C project, I'm assuming that's why she kicked me off. She's lying."

Quote from: CityLife on October 09, 2026, 09:22:11 AMAmong the entries are references to CEO evaluations, employee turnover, and one notation that reads: "U2C $800 million Skyway."

Last month, Hayward suggested her opposition to the project played a role in her removal from the board and that Deegan was aware of her financial concerns.

Hayward: "And because she knew I was going to vote off the U2C project, I'm assuming that's why she kicked me off. She's lying."

I won't pretend to know the full details here. Very open to the possibility that Hayward is telling the truth, but I also won't call for the head of an otherwise great mayor based on a contextless four-word U2C bulletpoint scrawled onto a sheet of scrap paper, her self-admitted "assumptions" about Deegan's motives, and an AG who has been playing gotcha with this administration for years.

This is the same AG that has been throwing shit against the wall to try to crucify Donna since the day she took office. Immigration enforcement. The JEA/Ballard thing. For having the audacity to appear at an apolitical event held by local Palestinians. For trying to keep track of weapons entering city buildings. Etc.

Would TRULY be dumb as rocks if this AG probe was more about trying to make Deegan look bad than it was about trying to figure out what the hell went wrong at JTA.

Quote from: CityLife on October 09, 2026, 09:22:11 AM

Quote from: fsu813 on October 07, 2026, 01:57:51 PM

Quote from: fsu813 on September 29, 2026, 04:00:31 PM

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 29, 2026, 12:28:51 PMStorm clouds forming over JTA.  Not a fan of our State Attorney General but I get his vibe on this one.  I wonder if it would be better to be investigated by the State or U.S. Attorneys instead.  No matter what, an investigation by someone is called for.

QuoteFlorida attorney general launches probe of JTA amid financial crisis
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/09/29/florida-attorney-general-issues-subpoena-to-jta/92000618007/

Being bad at business and decision making isn't illegal.

This is a 100% political fishing expedition to see if any negative headlines can be generated for the anti-Donna campaign.

As predicted, the fishing expedition has begun.

By many accounts, including those on city council, the significant decisions/discussion regarding these issues date back to 2021, but the subpoena only dates back to 2023.

The subpoena directly aligns with Megan Hayward's term on the JTA Board. She joined in October 2023 and left in March 2025. The subpoena requests documents from October 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025.

Seems pretty clear she is working with the Florida AG.

This new article is interesting. It notes that Hayward raised concerns to the Mayor about a contract and Nat Ford's wife. It's presumably the same contract being subpoenaed (Dreambuilders Consulting). Hayward also claims she was going to vote out the U2C project and that is why she was removed. Action New Jax (https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/mayors-office-notes-raise-new-questions-about-jta-warning-signs-amid-state-investigation/2K4G3H4RYFHAJPIGZSHX4Y4MWI/)

QuoteAction News Jax's Ben Becker has obtained handwritten notes from Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's office that are now part of the Florida Attorney General's investigation into the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

The notes, which the mayor's office previously argued were personal and not public records, were subpoenaed by the Attorney General on Tuesday to document a March 2025 meeting between Deegan and former JTA board member Megan Hayward.

Deegan has maintained their meeting primarily centered on declining ridership and concerns about a contract involving outgoing JTA CEO Nat Ford's wife.

However, the handwritten, one page of notes taken by a mayoral staffer suggest the discussion may have extended beyond those topics.

Among the entries are references to CEO evaluations, employee turnover, and one notation that reads: "U2C $800 million Skyway."

Last month, Hayward suggested her opposition to the project played a role in her removal from the board and that Deegan was aware of her financial concerns.

Hayward: "And because she knew I was going to vote off the U2C project, I'm assuming that's why she kicked me off. She's lying."

^ right. I believe the media and many people are conflating a few issues: JTA's current financial hole and what the former board member was concerned about at the time.

I mentioned this in a thread a couple weeks ago, but the former board member's concerns at the time weren't about a pending massive financial hole, they were about potential ethical conflicts and the accuracy of data being reported. The current financial debt and those concerns aren't directly related, which many don't seem to understand, but it does paint a picture of poor/problematic leadership.

Of note: city council says they investigated the concerns prior confirming the replacement of the board member.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 08, 2026, 05:47:28 PMDeegan 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.

Spot on. There is also likely a very steep learning curve for any new mayor and administration that comes in. Especially one (and many senior staff members) that doesn't have experience in City government or City Council.  There is also a much heavier work load and need to work on a wide range of projects at the same time than people realize. The average person would have nervous breakdown's if they had to deal with the myriad of issues and problems that a Mayor and Senior Staff have to deal with at any given time.

When Deegan first announced she was running in 2021, I pointed out that her lack of experience in politics or law would be a handicap (see below for some interesting points). She can actually use this to her advantage here. Think how many times in your own life or career, you have said, I wish I knew now what I knew then. 

I don't think Deegan should have been expected to come in right away and catch everything, especially since she came in as an outsider. In her first year or two, she was still trying to figure out the lay of the land. Hire the right people, put out fires left from Curry, and work on the Jags deal.

I think she could have won some points out of this ordeal by basically saying that in her first year her priorities were getting the Jags deal done, fixing Downtown parks and development, hiring the right people, and fixing organizational issues. Then say that like others she did not want to rock the boat at JTA since the U2C was already far along and it looked like the Holon deal could be a big economic development win for the City. Then say that as time went on, she has come to realize that the U2C and Ford were problems and that she is relieved to see Ford leave for Dallas and the U2C put on ice. She could have just come out and said that she regrets what happened with Hayward and if she knew then what she knows now, she would reconsider how things went down.

Instead, she is going to be at serious risk of re-election if any actual wrongdoings are found by the AG. 

Here are some posts from 2021
https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php/topic,36694.msg511555.html#msg511555

QuoteIs there another large city in the country where two former newscasters would even be considered top candidates for Mayor? I know Joyce Morgan is a councilperson now, but she doesn't seem to be one of the stronger ones.

Let's take a look at what current mayors of major Florida cities did before their roles:

St. Pete-Lawyer turned City Councilman then State Congressman
Tampa-Former Police Chief
Miami-Lawyer turned City Commissioner
Orlando-Lawyer turned State Senator
Fort Lauderdale-Lawyer turned City Commissioner
West Palm Beach-Lawyer turned City Commissioner
Tallahassee-MPA/MURP, governmental consultant turned County Commissioner
Sarasota-Lawyer turned City Councilor
Lakeland-Businessman
Pensacola-Businessman turned County Commissioner
Gainesville-Masters in Poli Sci turned City Commissioner

What do you see there? A lot of lawyers and all but one was a politician (or department head in the case of Tampa). Most of them rose from the ranks of their council. Transitioning from council allows them come into their mayoral terms with lots of institutional knowledge, understanding of processes, and a firm grasp on major initiatives and vision; as well as knowledge of strengths/weaknesses of the organization.

Jacksonville keeps electing people with absolutely zero experience working in local government, law, or politics; and then residents wonder why it's a horribly run city that doesn't come close to capitalizing on it's potential. The last three mayors have absolutely no experience in local government or law:

Lenny Curry-Accountant and former chair of Republican Party in Florida.

Alvin Brown-Got in with Bill Nelson and was gifted appointments to federal positions. Zero educational or work experience that would serve him in local government

John Peyton-No experience in local government and no educational background to prepare for it. Heavily backed by his family's influence.

Then our last two successful mayors:

John Delaney-Lawyer, turned COJ General Counsel, then Mayoral Chief of Staff.

Ed Austin-Lawyer, turned COJ General Counsel and State Attorney

Jacksonville needs to get back to electing lawyers and/or people with experience on Council or local government for Mayor.

In another message I pointed out

Quote-The mayors of 18 of the 32 largest cities in the US are former City Councilors
-9 of the remaining 14 were former politicians in larger roles
-11 of the 32 have JD's (some with additional masters)
-11 of the 21 non JD's have Masters in Poli Sci, Public Policy, or Business Administration
-5 of the 10 non JD's/Masters have undergrad degrees in Poli Sci

Can you spell incompetence and lack of reading the room?

QuoteJacksonville's JTA floats bringing back tolls to help close budget gap amid $39M shortfall

 Jacksonville Transportation Authority's interim CEO raised the possibility of bringing tolls back to the city as the agency looks for revenue amid layoffs and a budget shortfall.

Cleveland Ferguson told the City Council's Financial Audit and Oversight Select Committee that JTA has the authority to collect tolls and could explore working with a private partner.

Jacksonville voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 1989 to remove tolls from bridges, Ferguson said. He offered tolling as one possible revenue source, not as a finalized plan.

"Tolls would be a tough fight to rebuild," City Council President Nick Howland said. He said JTA must first stabilize its finances and right-size and optimize the agency.

The toll discussion came as council members began examining how JTA developed a nearly $39 million budget shortfall. The agency has laid off about 200 employees, and riders have faced reduced routes and longer waits.

The meeting was the first of five planned by the committee. Members said they would share relevant information with the state attorney general's office, which has issued subpoenas as part of its own investigation.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/10/09/jacksonvilles-jta-floats-bringing-back-tolls-to-help-close-budget-gap-amid-39m-shortfall/

Lol, I'm very serious when I say one of the first things Jax needs to do to right JTA is to replace executive leadership and the board. We can't expect a group that put the organization in this hole to immediately turn around and have viable solutions to get out of it. They've failed. Clean house before coming up with future plans and dreams.

Well, the listing for the next permanent CEO is now available, if someone more sensible wants to throw their hat into the ring:

https://jobs.kl2connects.com/jobs/careers/377797000018471056/Chief-Executive-Officer

I suppose it's up to the appointers (DeSantis/his successor and Deegan/her successor) whether they want to replace the board members. There's perhaps an argument that some of them haven't been on the board long enough for this to be directly their fault, but I would certainly look poorly on Chair Aundra Wallace and Vice Chair Patricia Sams in particular given their championship of Ford's leadership.

Quote from: thelakelander on October 09, 2026, 11:05:32 PMLol, I'm very serious when I say one of the first things Jax needs to do to right JTA is to replace executive leadership and the board. We can't expect a group that put the organization in this hole to immediately turn around and have viable solutions to get out of it. They've failed. Clean house before coming up with future plans and dreams.

I agree with this.  No one there currently will ever regain credibility when it comes to JTA's affairs.

And, bringing up tolls is just going to make even more enemies for the JTA team.  Where would they put them, back on the bridges?  It would be political suicide.

For those newer here, in the old days, there were two tolls on I-95, one at the Fuller Warren bridge downtown and the other at Trout river, ones along the Hart Bridge expressway, on the Matthews Bridge and on JTB's first phase that ended at St. Johns Bluff road.  Dames Point was supposed to also be a toll road but the voters picked the sales tax increase to replace tolls before it opened.

Tearing down the toll booths at the Matthews Bridge:

(https://bc.gmg.io/image/upload/q_auto,c_lfill,w_2560,h_1440,f_webp/media/gmg/MUQYLVPDXVHLJOBX5DPOGPDYTY.jpg?api_key=news4jax_3f10b25586458189)

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/06/07/a-look-back-the-toll-jacksonvilles-toll-system-had-on-the-citys-history/

Not to beat a dead horse, but I will...

The below article mimics JTA's issues with NAVI.  Like Tesla, NAVI still requires a driver and is far from being truly and safely autonomous.  Given Tesla's issues after all these years, imagine how far away NAVI is from being truly autonomous.  And, the over-selling by Tesla is the same game played by JTA with NAVI.  Regulators and lawyers are circling Tesla.  The same needs to happen with JTA.

QuoteTesla drops 'Full Self-Driving' brand name in Europe after regulator pushback

Elon Musk's automaker Tesla
 has changed the brand name of its "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)," or FSD, system in Europe to "Assisted Driving" after German regulators called the branding "somewhat misleading."...

...On Tuesday, the German Federal Ministry of Transport, known as the BMV, said in a statement that Tesla's brand name "FSD" was "somewhat misleading," adding that "It is not a system that takes over the entire driving task. Rather, it is a driver assistance system that can support certain driving tasks such as accelerating, braking, and steering. The driver must remain attentive at all times."...

...The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. automotive safety regulator, is also investigating Tesla's FSD to determine if it is safe for drivers to use in fog, glaring sun or other reduced visibility conditions, and is investigating Tesla to determine whether FSD caused Tesla drivers to commit traffic violations — some that resulted in collisions.

In December 2025, a judge in California determined that Tesla had engaged in deceptive marketing around its Autopilot and FSD systems, falsely implying they were fully automated driving systems. Tesla has countersued the California DMV to try to shed that "false advertiser" label in a Los Angeles superior court. That litigation is ongoing.

Autonomous systems expert Missy Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University and outspoken critic of Tesla and other autonomous vehicle developers, said renaming FSD isn't a strong enough measure to ensure the systems are safe for broad release in Europe.

In an email to CNBC, Cummings said European agencies are "ignoring both past and ongoing NHTSA investigations" into safety defects with Tesla's FSD....

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/tesla-full-self-driving-europe-regulator.html

This Times Union article appears to be a fairly presented and comprehensive review of all of Hayward's allegations and various parties' connections/comments/responses/defenses to them at the time they were made.

QuoteEx-JTA board member turned Deegan critic is key figure in JTA probes

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/09/former-jta-board-member-emerges-as-key-figure-in-investigations-of-jta/92132616007/

Here's the brochure referenced in the job listing linked above.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14O1dr95hbhw4ssquwnOJET_67QfsH7ia/view?pli=1

The Legislature really needs to strip away all non-transit functions. Then, they can hire a Transit Professional instead of a multi-modal person.

Tolls? What tolls? Sounds like JTA floated a trial balloon that went over like a lead blimp.

QuoteMayor Deegan, JTA shut down any possibility of using tolls to fix financial crisis

JTA also released a statement, which can be read below:

"The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is setting the record straight related to reports by the media that Interim Chief Executive Officer Cleveland Ferguson III presented related to tolls during the City Council's Financial Audit and Oversight Committee meeting on Friday, October 9.

Ferguson did not propose or advocate for reinstating bridge tolls. During the discussion, he noted that tolling remains a dormant capability under the JTA's authorizing statute and referenced it in the historical context of the JTA's former role as an expressway authority.

Bridge or Road tolling was NOT presented as a proposal or recommendation to address the JTA's current financial challenges.

The JTA remains focused on the actions underway to stabilize the Authority's finances, strengthen accountability and continue providing reliable transportation services to the Jacksonville community."

More inability to read the room or the community. Its something that never should have been mentioned publicly period. But NAVI would have died years ago and JTA would have never been in this hole today if the ability to read the room has been a strong trait.

Times-Union today discussing how JTA's finances deteriorated over the last two years.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

I'm a little curious by the lack of certain names being mentioned lately: Raj Srinath and Heather Obora. Srinath was CFO at JTA from October 2023 to June 2025, with Obora serving as interim seemingly until Randall Barnes took over in August this year. The extent of these budgeting mishaps really begs some questions about their leadership.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 12, 2026, 12:48:24 PMTimes-Union today discussing how JTA's finances deteriorated over the last two years.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

I'm a little curious by the lack of certain names being mentioned lately: Raj Srinath and Heather Obora. Srinath was CFO at JTA from October 2023 to June 2025, with Obora serving as interim seemingly until Randall Barnes took over in August this year. The extent of these budgeting mishaps really begs some questions about their leadership.

For anyone interested, it would be worth talking to Greg Hayes, the competent/principled CFO at JEA who was let go after 7 years in 2023, as well. He has a point of view.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 12, 2026, 12:48:24 PMTimes-Union today discussing how JTA's finances deteriorated over the last two years.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

I'm a little curious by the lack of certain names being mentioned lately: Raj Srinath and Heather Obora. Srinath was CFO at JTA from October 2023 to June 2025, with Obora serving as interim seemingly until Randall Barnes took over in August this year. The extent of these budgeting mishaps really begs some questions about their leadership.

I agree. It is apparent the lousy projections and shifting numbers began long before the current CFO came aboard. I hope both of the people marcusnelson mentioned will be questioned by the State Attorney and the Council Committee.

I just don't understand why there isn't more anger at Nate Ford, particularly on this forum. Like it seems the blame is being cast against Deegan or state officials. Why not the actual CEO?

I get he left town, but if he did anything to personally enrich himself or his friends he should be prosecuted. I just feel like all of our anger is pointed at the wrong people.

Joey, if you read back the posts deeper in this thread you will find plenty hanging this both on Nat Ford and his rubber stamp JTA Board.  You are correct, this is really where the buck stops first and foremost.

I might add that JTA gets an outside audit.  Not sure when their fiscal year ends but I would think an audit report would have highlighted a downward trend that would have been made apparent to management and the Board.

I am guessing Nat Ford had many either seduced or living in fear that no one dared or bothered to speak up.  Hiding these losses is akin to trying to hide an aircraft carrier.  Some people had to see this coming but said nothing.  It's why an investigation is fair game.

Reading the below quotes, JTA looks to be guilty of GROSS NEGLIGENCE or a near-CRIMINAL cover up, manipulation or both.  Absolutely NO WAY numbers in an organization the size of JTA swung this much in one or two quarters and management didn't come clean.  Looks, too, like an effort to get City Council to approve a budget built on a deck of cards by management.  I am guessing senior executives didn't want to have a budget cut that would require their salaries to be reduced, jobs cut, and/or their sacred cows (NAVI and the Skyway) closed down. 

If Ford didn't resign, I would guess he would have been fired.  Others around him still there may also need to yet go.  Lot's of people inside JTA had to know this charade was underway.

If this was a public company, CEO would be fired faster than after being caught on a kiss-cam, the SEC would be criminally investigating and lawsuits would be all over the place for misleading and/or fraudulent presentations to shareholders/investors.

QuoteBad financial projections and overspending doomed JTA budget from start

A July 30, 2025, report submitted by JTA for nine months of the 2024-25 fiscal year showed the agency expected to finish the year on Sept. 30, 2025 with a $3.9 million surplus.

The next quarterly report by JTA on Nov. 30, 2025 showed it actually ended the 12-month fiscal year at the end of September 2025 with a deficit of almost $19 million.

Peterson said it's unusual for quarterly reports to have such a big swing. He said if the information about the deficit spending during the 2024-25 fiscal year had come earlier, his office and City Council could have given more scrutiny to the assumptions JTA used in crafting the 2025-26 budget...

...Barnes said he started work at JTA on July 20 knowing the agency faced financial challenges. He said he quickly discovered they ran deeper than he anticipated.

"Cash on hand was extremely low," he told City Council. "Reserves had been depleted."

The agency owed more than $20 million for unpaid invoices.

"Suppliers weren't being paid on time," Barnes said. "Understandably, many threatened to stop delivery or discontinue service."...

...JTA's next report to the City Council Auditor's Office in May for the six-month point of the fiscal year showed JTA was projecting $2.3 million in deficits at the end of the year despite the cuts it had made.

But like the report given to the City Council Auditor's Office in summer 2025, that report vastly understated the scope of the deficit....

...JTA board member Daniel Vallencourt said at the Sept. 23 board meeting the agency still must get a full accounting of what went wrong and ensure board members get better data for informed decision-making.

"I need real-time numbers," Vallencout said. "I can't have March is one thing and April is another and all of a sudden in August it's completely different."...

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

QuoteThe next quarterly report by JTA on Nov. 30, 2025 showed it actually ended the 12-month fiscal year at the end of September 2025

There's the answer to the earlier question of JTA's fiscal year. They follow the federal and COJ fiscal year of October 1 to September 30 (and not the state's July 1 - June 30).

JTA looking more and more like a deck of cards for years, maybe approaching fraud.  Can indictments be far behind? 

As I have been saying, the current problems are too big to have happened overnight.  People at JTA knew they were there all along.  Not saying something, hiding it, or worse... heads need to roll and board needs to be replaced, at a minimum.

QuoteWarning signs missed? City auditors reveal years of questionable budgeting before JTA's $39 million financial crisis
New findings show repeated overspending, overly optimistic financial projections and gaps in oversight dating back years

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The financial problems that led to nearly 200 layoffs and sweeping service cuts at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority may have been building for years, even as the agency continued reporting a relatively stable financial picture to city leaders.

That was one of the key revelations Thursday during the second meeting of the Jacksonville City Council's Financial Audit and Oversight Select Committee, where city auditors presented a history of JTA's finances and raised questions about spending, budget projections and whether warning signs were overlooked.

Instead, auditors identified years of spending that exceeded budgets in certain departments, financial projections that appeared overly optimistic and reporting practices that made it difficult for city leaders to understand the agency's true financial condition.

The questions now are how much JTA leadership knew, when officials knew it and whether the agency's board of directors did enough to prevent the financial crisis.

During Thursday's meeting, city auditors reviewed financial records dating back several years, identifying a pattern of operating expenses exceeding budgeted amounts despite reports suggesting little or no financial stress.

In 2022, for example, JTA reported no significant budgetary stress, even though spending was approximately $4.8 million over budget.

The following year, the agency again reported no major financial concerns, despite its bus and ferry operations exceeding their budgets.

Similar issues continued in 2024, when expenses associated with services including Connexion, the ferry and other operations exceeded budgeted amounts.

Meanwhile, JTA's quarterly financial projections continued to suggest the agency was on solid financial ground.

In 2024, those projections included a modest $36,000 surplus that later increased to approximately $2.3 million and then $3.9 million.

But the picture changed dramatically.

JTA finished fiscal year 2025 with a deficit of approximately $18.9 million. The agency's financial problems worsened in fiscal year 2026, when officials projected a shortfall of roughly $39 million.

Council members questioned how an agency that repeatedly exceeded spending targets could continue projecting positive financial results without triggering greater scrutiny.

Auditors characterized some of JTA's budget projections as inappropriate, raising questions about whether the numbers accurately reflected the agency's mounting expenses.

Thursday's discussion also focused on the programs and expenses that contributed to JTA's financial problems.

Among the areas drawing attention were the agency's bus operations, its Connexion and Connexion Plus transportation services for people with disabilities and other eligible riders, and NAVI, JTA's autonomous vehicle system.

Auditors pointed to substantial increases in the cost of Connexion Plus, with expenses rising faster than JTA had anticipated.

NAVI, which began carrying passengers in 2025, also contributed to the agency's financial pressures.

The committee examined budgeting associated with the autonomous vehicle program, including approximately $10 million identified in the agency's 2023 budget.

Additional questions involved JTA's handling of employee benefits, including instances in which fringe benefits were budgeted above actual needs, and whether financial planning accurately accounted for the full cost of operating services.

Sales tax revenue was another major concern.

Depending on the year, sales taxes accounted for at least 40% of JTA's budget, making the agency especially vulnerable when revenue failed to meet expectations.

Council members questioned whether JTA was spending money based on overly optimistic revenue estimates and whether its financial planning kept pace with changing economic conditions.

The committee also raised questions about frequent turnover in JTA's chief financial officer position and how the agency managed federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Another significant issue uncovered Thursday involves how much financial information JTA is required to provide to the city.

Although JTA receives substantial public funding and must bring certain budget matters before City Council, it is an independent authority created under state law.

That distinction limits the city's ability to demand detailed financial reporting throughout the year.

City auditors explained that they do not have unrestricted access to JTA's entire budget and financial operations.

Under the current legal framework, the Council Auditor's Office can request certain financial information, but its authority to compel ongoing reporting is limited.

The committee also discussed concerns about delays in receiving information from JTA, errors in financial reports and budget adjustments that were not always clearly explained.

In one instance, auditors identified a budgeting error involving a contract that had been accounted for as a half-year expense rather than a full-year obligation.

Questions were raised about financial concerns communicated to JTA as early as January and whether those concerns were adequately shared with the agency's board.

Council members discussed whether state lawmakers should change the law governing JTA to require more frequent and detailed financial reporting.

Because JTA was created by state statute, such changes would likely require legislative action in Tallahassee rather than a simple amendment to Jacksonville's charter.

The findings prompted pointed questions about accountability and whether JTA's board of directors had enough information to recognize the agency's worsening financial situation.

Councilman Ron Salem called for members of the board, preferably its chair, to appear before the committee and explain what they knew about JTA's financial projections.

Salem questioned whether board members challenged the numbers they were receiving and whether they understood the agency's true financial condition.

"Something went astray here," Salem said.

Council members also discussed bringing former JTA CEO Nat Ford back to answer questions about financial decisions made during his leadership.

Councilman Rory Diamond said he wants Ford to testify before the committee, regardless of where the former CEO now lives.

The committee's concerns extend beyond individual budget errors to broader questions about whether JTA had adequate financial controls and whether its leadership and governing board were properly monitoring public spending.

The investigation comes as the consequences of JTA's financial crisis continue to affect employees and the people who depend on public transportation.

Nearly 200 workers have been laid off as the authority attempts to stabilize its finances.

Bus routes have been changed, services have been reduced, and some riders have faced longer waits and fewer transportation options.

Jacksonville City Council has also taken steps to provide financial relief to the troubled agency, including a plan involving up to $30 million in local option gas tax funds.

But council members made clear Thursday that financial assistance alone will not answer the larger questions about what went wrong.

The committee is now examining whether problems in budgeting, financial reporting and oversight allowed years of warning signs to go unaddressed.

Members also discussed establishing stronger financial controls so JTA's board, City Council and the public receive more accurate and timely information about how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

The committee's work is ongoing, and its findings have not established that financial statements were intentionally falsified.

For now, the central question remains whether the financial crisis that cost nearly 200 people their jobs and disrupted transportation for thousands of riders could have been identified and possibly prevented years earlier.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/10/15/warning-signs-missed-city-auditors-reveal-years-of-questionable-budgeting-before-jtas-39-million-financial-crisis/

Did I miss where the Skyway was the reason for the deficit? All in all, just more reason to clean house at the leadership level over there. Its time for a restart.

Quote from: thelakelander on October 15, 2026, 08:07:28 PMDid I miss where the Skyway was the reason for the deficit? All in all, just more reason to clean house at the leadership level over there. Its time for a restart.

8) Haha. I am guessing the buses, NAVI and Connexion each lost more than the $5 million/year of the Skyway.  So, by comparison, the Skyway didn't make the top 3 list.  I bet it might have been #4 but I guess the auditors speaking time ran out  ;D .  I don't think JTA can afford to lose $5 million right now any more than the $10 million on NAVI.  Proof in the pudding is that the Skyway was "suspended" in step with NAVI and the other cuts to try and bring the budget back in balance. 'Nough said!

FYI, the Daily Record included the Skyway so maybe the notetaker for Channel 4 ran out of ink!

Quote...Those financial miscues eventually led to staffing and service cuts at the JTA, as it accounted for a $39 million budget shortfall heading into FY27. In September, JTA announced that it would pause service of the Downtown Skyway and Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI) service, stop some bus routes and lay off nearly 200 employees over the coming months....

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/oct/15/city-auditors-point-to-poor-budgeting-spending-in-jtas-financial-decline/

I think if anything can be learned from the JTA ordeal is that there needs to be more local oversight from Jax/Duval and perhaps some more professional representation on the board. The previous structure of the JTA Board was 3 gubernatorial appointees, 3 mayoral appointees, and the FDOT District Secretary was the 7th. In 2025 this was changed to create 4 gubernatorial appointees (1 from Duval, Clay, Nassau, and SJC).

There are several other "state" transportation related agencies in Florida that do not have a majority of appointees from the governor. The Central Florida Expressway Authority only has 3/10 appointees from the governor. South Florida Regional Transportation Authority only has 3/10 appointees from the governor. Lynx has 0/5 appointees from the governor.

I think the Mayor or City Council should push the state legislature to change the Board structure of JTA. Instead of having gubernatorial appointees from Clay, Nassau, and SJC; I would appoint either the ED or Board President of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization and the ED or Board President of the Northeast Florida Regional Council. Each should be able to represent the needs of the region, including the suburban counties. Then give the governor two appointees.

So the structure would be:

Jacksonville Mayor-3 appointees
Florida Governor-2 appointees
North Florida TPO-1 seat
Northeast Florida Regional Council-1 seat

or you can up it to a 9 member board, keep the TPO and Regional Council and give the Mayor 4 appointees and Governor 3 (governor could still do Clay, Nassau, SJC if desired). There are probably 20 different ways to do this that would work better than the current setup.

It also looks like the City Council and City Auditors need more financial oversight. Hopefully JTA being put under the microscope leads to some positive changes, so nothing even remotely close to this ever happens again.

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 15, 2026, 10:07:04 PM

Quote from: thelakelander on October 15, 2026, 08:07:28 PMDid I miss where the Skyway was the reason for the deficit? All in all, just more reason to clean house at the leadership level over there. Its time for a restart.

8) Haha. I am guessing the buses, NAVI and Connexion each loss more than the $5 million/year of the Skyway.  So, by comparison, the Skyway didn't make the top 3 list.  I bet it might have been #4 but I guess the auditors speaking time ran out  ;D .  I don't think JTA can afford to lose $5 million right now any more than the $10 million on NAVI.  Proof in the pudding is that the Skyway was "suspended" in step with NAVI and the other cuts to try and bring the budget back in balance. 'Nough said!

FYI, the Daily Record included the Skyway so maybe the notetaker for Channel 4 ran out of ink!

Quote...Those financial miscues eventually led to staffing and service cuts at the JTA, as it accounted for a $39 million budget shortfall heading into FY27. In September, JTA announced that it would pause service of the Downtown Skyway and Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI) service, stop some bus routes and lay off nearly 200 employees over the coming months....

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/oct/15/city-auditors-point-to-poor-budgeting-spending-in-jtas-financial-decline/

The information provided basically states that the Skyway wasn't reason for them being $39 million in the hole. It's a good buzz word to pick at right now, but when we did deeper, we'll find out much of this is simply incompetence and lavish spending over a period of time without any real checks and balances. That was my point!

Two other elements I would be interested in more daylight on:

• The actual, exact cost to JTA of constructing the JRTC at LaVilla, including to build out any amenities for JTA executives.
• The actual, exact cost to JTA of the U2C's Test & Learn program over its lifetime, including the test track, vehicle rentals or purchases, technology services and hardware procured (including now-defunct ones) and especially the Armsdale facility.

More broadly, I think I've seen it reported that paratransit and especially microtransit/ReadiRide costs have absolutely exploded in recent years. Obviously elements of that are critical public services, and there was widespread public condemnation of certain proposed changes, but I think a bigger conversation about why exactly those costs are what they are, and broadly what options in terms of operating model there can be, might be of some value, especially since the nature of Jacksonville's size and density mean that is an incredibly difficult service to operate.

As Ennis has said, there really ought to be a public backing away from JTA's philosophy around the use of autonomy in transit operations (alongside the changes in leadership) if the hope is to have serious conversations about how best to deliver mass transit in Jacksonville.

Quote from: CityLife on October 16, 2026, 10:54:04 AMI think if anything can be learned from the JTA ordeal is that there needs to be more local oversight from Jax/Duval and perhaps some more professional representation on the board.

I'm currently not too convinced in that structurally. It'd have been one thing if all the City appointees had any consistency in demonstrating the needed curiosity about the authority's sctions, or if the FDOT Secretary ever even showed up to board meetings (https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/investigates-fdot-district-secretary-hasnt-been-jta-board-meeting-over-5-years/2JK5FWNNOBE5NLQIVCNZECQH5I/). You really need people who care about the nuts and bolts of this stuff, who aren't just looking at this as another board to be on, or an excuse to take fancy trips. Ideally, the point of selecting local executives or other leaders is to have people who can use the combination of their roles to make an affirmative case for the development and growth of mass transit regionally. Hard to say how you control for that when making appointments, especially if the people making the appointments might not really believe in the value of transit themselves anyway. When have you ever seen a Mayor or Governor just ride a bus? Not even for every trip, but at least for something that isn't exclusively a standing photoshoot? If they don't care, what are the odds that either of them will appoint someone who does? Maybe there's something to be said for thinking bigger, whether that means making the role an actual full-time, salaried one (this should probably also happen for City Council, frankly) or perhaps even an elected one. Potential benefits and drawbacks to either approach, but historically it doesn't exactly seem the status quo is working at oversight.

^The FDOT district that includes Jacksonville covers 18 counties and is based in Lake City. So the FDOT District Secretary's attendance isn't really analogous to the idea of adding more Jacksonville appointees, or more importantly the ED's of the TPO and Regional Council, both of which are based in Jax.

The fundamental idea behind my suggestion was getting local experts on the board that are knowledgeable about transportation, planning, and local/regional policy. Adding the ED of the TPO and Regional Council are the best ways to do so, imo. This would put Jeff Sheffield (Masters in Planning with 30 years of experience) and Beth Payne (Masters in Planning with 25 years of experience) on the Board. Some boards have requirements to appoint people with certain skills (i.e 1 engineer, 1 transportation planner, 1 architect, etc). However, due to professional conflicts of interest it would be difficult to find anyone who can serve. 

I agree that the mayoral appointments have been disappointing though. Another option worth considering is requiring one of the appointees to be a City Council member that is nominated by City Council (not the mayor). That way you may end up getting a Council person with an alternative viewpoint of the Mayor.

That structure could look like this:

-2 Mayoral
-2 Governor
-1 City Council
-1 TPO
-1 Regional Council

Quote from: CityLife on October 17, 2026, 09:06:02 AM^The FDOT district that includes Jacksonville covers 18 counties and is based in Lake City. So the FDOT District Secretary's attendance isn't really analogous to the idea of adding more Jacksonville appointees, or more importantly the ED's of the MPO and Regional Council, both of which are based in Jax.

Previous District Secretaries somehow found the time to attend JTA Board meetings. Maybe they didn't make it to all the meetings, but I don't think any MISSED all the meetings.

QuoteThe fundamental idea behind my suggestion was getting local experts on the board that are knowledgeable about transportation, planning, and local/regional policy. Adding the ED of the MPO and Regional Council are the best ways to do so, imo. This would put Jeff Sheffield (Masters in Planning with 30 years of experience) and Beth Payne (Masters in Planning with 25 years of experience) on the Board. Some boards have requirements to appoint people with certain skills (i.e 1 engineer, 1 transportation planner, 1 architect, etc). However, due to professional conflicts of interest it would be difficult to find anyone who can serve. 

I agree that the mayoral appointments have been disappointing though. Another option worth considering is requiring one of the appointees to be a City Council member that is nominated by City Council (not the mayor). That way you may end up getting a Council person with an alternative viewpoint of the Mayor.

That structure could look like this:

-2 Mayoral
-2 Governor
-1 City Council
-1 MPO
-1 Regional Council

I concur with this suggestion. JTA's cooperation and coordination with City Council, the TPO, and the Regional Council has been lip-service at best.

I believe that regardless of whom appoints them, there should be a combination of transportation, planning, community and financial "experts". Also, this board cannot be a rubber stamp board (as many are). It must question and say no when required.

^ I think that the City's head of public works and planning departments should play some role in the JTA Board process whether voting or ex-officio.  The lack of collaboration between JTA and City departments/needs is well known.  If we are ever going to have a legitimate planning process and infrastructure efficiencies, these connections needs to be made stronger.

Quote from: CityLife on October 17, 2026, 09:06:02 AMThe fundamental idea behind my suggestion was getting local experts on the board that are knowledgeable about transportation, planning, and local/regional policy. Adding the ED of the TPO and Regional Council are the best ways to do so, imo. This would put Jeff Sheffield (Masters in Planning with 30 years of experience) and Beth Payne (Masters in Planning with 25 years of experience) on the Board. Some boards have requirements to appoint people with certain skills (i.e 1 engineer, 1 transportation planner, 1 architect, etc). However, due to professional conflicts of interest it would be difficult to find anyone who can serve.

I agree that the mayoral appointments have been disappointing though. Another option worth considering is requiring one of the appointees to be a City Council member that is nominated by City Council (not the mayor). That way you may end up getting a Council person with an alternative viewpoint of the Mayor.

I've met Mr. Sheffield, and I've spoken with him about the U2C Program and JTA before. I hesitate to say that it would be ideal for him to become additionally responsible for overseeing JTA on top of all his existing responsibilities at the TPO. I don't think transit is his forte and that this is something he would have an interest in as an added part of his job. Coordination with the TPO and NEFRC and the City ought to improve for sure, but I'm not sure adding to their staff workloads with new, unpaid oversight responsibilities addresses that.

In theory the Council option would be good too, except given the last three Council Liaisons (Rory Diamond, Rahman Johnson, Ju'Coby Pittman) to the JTA Board, it's unclear that they would actually do a better job of picking board members either. Ultimately Council are the ones who allowed the LOGT to hand a quarter billion dollars to the questionable U2C program (even granting the shift in funds to the Emerald Trail).

This brings me back to what I was saying earlier, in that I'm having a hard time figuring out what option gives us board members who actually care about transit working well, who will take their roles seriously and do the due diligence to avoid getting one over on them by whatever nonsense staff might bring them, without just being hatchet people for more driving everywhere. This seems to be a problem for transit agencies across the country, so I'm not immediately sure how especially in Jacksonville one might avoid it.

^To add, my observation of the TPO is they are mostly all about road building/expansion/improvements, especially the interstates/beltways/state roads.  They throw a few bones to bike and pedestrian safety.  I don't see much interest in mass transit there.  I would think they would be yelling from the rooftops if they did care, leading the charge for regional and intra-city fixed rail solutions that would be much further along than the near-nothing we have now.

I just looked at the TPO's October board minutes and other than a feeble JTA report, I didn't see any talk of mass transit.  I also looked at the last several years of their "planning" studies and saw no mass transit ones.  If they are doing mass transit, I don't see it on their web pages.  Clearly, not front and center, if they are doing anything at all.

^ Right, there are TPOs/MPOs elsewhere that do take great interest in transit and are strong advocates to push for better planning that accounts for it as an alternative to roadway expansion, but the NFTPO isn't really one of them. That's not necessarily Mr. Sheffield's fault, but it's a matter of the priorities the TPO has been given by those who oversee it, and likely also the attitude JTA has held in monopolizing public discourse on transit while not really believing in transit.

We certainly ought to be at a point in which the counties and cities in this region realize the math in that we cannot keep expecting everyone to just drive everywhere all the time forever, but obviously there's also a great deal of interest ideologically and financially in ignoring that math or grasping for whatever excuse to not change tact. The ditch JTA has driven itself into the last decade has certainly not helped matters.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 20, 2026, 12:37:27 AM

Quote from: CityLife on October 17, 2026, 09:06:02 AMThe fundamental idea behind my suggestion was getting local experts on the board that are knowledgeable about transportation, planning, and local/regional policy. Adding the ED of the TPO and Regional Council are the best ways to do so, imo. This would put Jeff Sheffield (Masters in Planning with 30 years of experience) and Beth Payne (Masters in Planning with 25 years of experience) on the Board. Some boards have requirements to appoint people with certain skills (i.e 1 engineer, 1 transportation planner, 1 architect, etc). However, due to professional conflicts of interest it would be difficult to find anyone who can serve.

I agree that the mayoral appointments have been disappointing though. Another option worth considering is requiring one of the appointees to be a City Council member that is nominated by City Council (not the mayor). That way you may end up getting a Council person with an alternative viewpoint of the Mayor.

I've met Mr. Sheffield, and I've spoken with him about the U2C Program and JTA before. I hesitate to say that it would be ideal for him to become additionally responsible for overseeing JTA on top of all his existing responsibilities at the TPO. I don't think transit is his forte and that this is something he would have an interest in as an added part of his job. Coordination with the TPO and NEFRC and the City ought to improve for sure, but I'm not sure adding to their staff workloads with new, unpaid oversight responsibilities addresses that.

In theory the Council option would be good too, except given the last three Council Liaisons (Rory Diamond, Rahman Johnson, Ju'Coby Pittman) to the JTA Board, it's unclear that they would actually do a better job of picking board members either. Ultimately Council are the ones who allowed the LOGT to hand a quarter billion dollars to the questionable U2C program (even granting the shift in funds to the Emerald Trail).

This brings me back to what I was saying earlier, in that I'm having a hard time figuring out what option gives us board members who actually care about transit working well, who will take their roles seriously and do the due diligence to avoid getting one over on them by whatever nonsense staff might bring them, without just being hatchet people for more driving everywhere. This seems to be a problem for transit agencies across the country, so I'm not immediately sure how especially in Jacksonville one might avoid it.

With no disrespect to my city council colleagues, and understanding I can't get into much on this topic, I will say this: City Council picking appointments to major boards just doesn't work well. City council is a part time job, and moreover, council presidents do the picking, and they're only there for one year. Just look at the JEA board for what can happen in such a situation: https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/02/18/council-president-tells-jea-board-member-hes-replacing-him-because-he-owed-a-big-favor-to-his-boss-texts-show/

A thought that just occurred to me today:

The first of the buses purchased for the First Coast Flyer (specifically for the Green Line, although they might also be used on other portions of the Flyer network) should be reaching the end of their useful life in the next year or so. It might be beneficial to start thinking about what the future of JTA's bus fleet is going to look like, and what facility needs there are to support that.

I recall there being talk a few years ago about a study to evaluate future regional maintenance facilities as opposed to having everything be maintained on Myrtle Avenue, I have no idea if that study was completed or what its recommendations were. But especially now at a time where operating cost pressures are increasing, particularly with fuel costs, it might be worth looking closer at where it might make sense to consider shifting future fleet plans for if those facilities are to be built at some point in the future.

In terms of the Flyer fleet, I'd be very interested in the possibility of evaluating electrification again, since vendor capabilities have improved substantially since the days of Proterra or other earlier options, and we could genuinely leverage the electrical infrastructure built for the Skyway for charging alongside possibly adding some terminal chargers at the end of lines. The LOGT funding would also support the possibility of lowering overall costs through evaluating other vendors, such as the Solaris buses currently being built for San Francisco, Seattle, and potentially other agencies. Perhaps most critically, I believe it would be very valuable to consider using this procurement to make some changes to the onboard experience, with wider rear doors to support All Door Boarding and onboard bike racks, much like other BRT systems feature. Eventually that might also potentially entail new platforms for level boarding.

Since the Flyer appears set to be our primary rapid transit system going forward, there seems to be the need to really start looking at how to make it more of a rapid transit system, even if things like more dedicated lanes might just have to be off the table for now.

The proverbial s--t finally hit the fan today as a JTA board member says JTA leadership straight up misled the board and is now calling for the resignations of all senior leaders and even offered to resign, himself, for failing to exercise appropriate oversight. 

All things I have been posting with others here on the Jaxson.  JTA needs to be overhauled from top to bottom:  mission (strictly MASS transit only), its charter, board configuration and how appointed, new transparency, budgeting, procurement and hiring processes, outside audits, etc.

QuoteJTA board member calls for resignation of authority's leaders
Daniel Vallencourt says he and his counterparts were misled about budget problems.

A Jacksonville Transportation Authority board member called for resignations of the organization's leadership, saying he and other board members were misled about the JTA's financial situation.

In an Oct. 26 news release, Daniel Vallencourt wrote that JTA's leadership, including former CEO Nat Ford, "painted a picture for the Board that did not reflect reality."

Vallencourt's news release followed layoffs and service cuts made by the authority to adjust for a $39 million year-over-year budget shortfall.

Vallencourt, who was nominated to JTA's board by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2026, said that JTA's leadership team withheld information from the board, and that leadership felt the board was "an inconvenience."

"As we work to right the ship, it is impossible to have confidence in those who remain from the original leadership team. They were part of the problem that got us here, and I believe the only way forward is a completely fresh start," Vallencourt wrote.

Vallencourt, the CEO of Vallencourt Construction Co., called for the resignations of interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Smith and Chief of Public Affairs Jessica Shepler.

"Director Vallencourt raises the very questions the public, the JTA Board and the Jacksonville City Council are asking: What happened? Why did it happen? And who is responsible?" JTA spokesperson Lynn Opperman wrote in response to Vallencourt's release.

"Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson and CFO Randall Barnes plan to address those questions directly at Wednesday's Board meeting."

Noting that he spoke for himself and not the full board, Vallencourt wrote that JTA had drawn on its reserve funds for a year before telling its board it was doing so. Leadership at the authority also presented budget deficits in a manner downplaying the impact of the shortfall, he claimed.

Vallencourt also raised issues about specific spending practices, including:

• JTA's board approved a fiscal year 2026 budget of $148.2 million, though JTA spent $181.1 million. Vallencourt asked who approved that spending, and who authorized reserve spending.

• JTA's leadership traveled to Germany and Japan while the authority was drawing from its reserves.

• The authority spent funds on training and consultants, though Vallencourt said he was unsure what the authority gained from those contracts. Vallencourt mentioned one company, Dream Builders Communication, that had been named in subpoenas as part of the state attorney general's criminal investigation into JTA. Dream Builders works in leadership development and executive coaching, according to its website.

• It appeared the board was not informed that the managing principal of the firm hired by JTA to conduct its CEO search, KL2 Connects, was also a JTA contractor whose firm had received hundreds of thousands of dollars for past work.

"The search firm would help select the next CEO, who could then turn around and keep hiring him," Vallencourt wrote. "JTA's procurement director has since confirmed in writing that this was a real, apparent or potential conflict of interest."

• JTA's headquarters, located in the LaVilla neighborhood, is consistently empty, Vallencourt said, asking how often JTA's executives were showing up to work on-site.

Saying that he deserved some of the blame for JTA's financial issues for failing to exercise proper oversight, Vallencourt offered his resignation to DeSantis.

"Originally, I was one of the biggest supporters of Nat Ford and the entire leadership team. I bought into the narrative and should have done a better job of verifying what I was being told," Vallencourt wrote.

"I should have demanded the raw numbers: a balance sheet, a statement of cash flows, and an accounts payable summary. I didn't, and I own that. Oversight was part of my job, and I failed to do it adequately. I deeply regret that," he wrote.

"Governor DeSantis appointed me to this Board. He would be well justified to ask for my resignation, and if he asks for it, I will readily provide it. Until that happens, I will do all that I can to fix JTA's problems and make sure something like this never happens again."

Vallencourt's letter came amid multiple investigations into JTA and its financial spiral.

The authority, after reporting back-to-back years with budget deficits, came into fiscal year 2027 with a $39 million shortfall. To adjust for decreased revenues, JTA announced in September it would lay off nearly 200 employees and cut or suspend some services. The authority has since borrowed $30 million from its Local Option Gas Tax revenues to pay down a line of credit and other debts.

Additionally, the Florida attorney general's office is conducting a criminal investigation into JTA and how its financial situation deteriorated. Media reports indicate the authority has received at least two subpoenas.

Additionally, Jacksonville City Council is beginning to seek its own answers, issuing a subpoena to Ford.

Ford, now leading Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Texas, failed to appear before the Council Finance Committee on Oct. 22, but committee members indicated they were working with Ford to find an appropriate time that he could testify before them.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/oct/26/jta-board-member-calls-for-resignation-of-authoritys-leaders/

Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson announced at today's JTA board meeting that he will not seek the role permanently, and in fact will leave the authority entirely by March 2023.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/jta-interim-ceo-wont-seek-permanent-job-says-agency-had-no-guardrails/6SOVGBPLXNGYLLX7RKFO6KNVGI/

He also seemed to suggest that he was under pressure and overruled by other leaders, potentially including Nat Ford, to make certain choices and simply "figure it out."

Like turning on the light in a room full of cockroaches  ;D .  The real story coming out and Ford looking worse by the day as his #2 turns on him.  At this rate, will be surprised if Ford survives in Dallas for long.

And, looks like the JTA Team agrees with me, the Skyway has no future.  Already at least 3 years past their assessed close down date!  Financial and managerial scandal, Skyway and NAVI demise... all on my predicted bucket list for JTA  ;D .

QuoteNat Ford blamed for JTA's 'fiscal cliff'
Interim leader Cleveland Ferguson said the ex-CEO ignored financial advice from executive leadership.

In a 24-minute monologue, Jacksonville Transportation Authority interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson laid the blame for the authority's recent financial struggles on former CEO Nat Ford.

Speaking to JTA's board Oct. 28, Ferguson said Ford repeatedly ignored the advice of his executive leadership team, refusing to acknowledge fiscal realities while maintaining deficits in pursuit of policy goals.

Ferguson's statement, during which he cited his religious beliefs and obligations as a public servant, provided an inside look at what he said he saw while serving as Ford's second-in-command running JTA.

While staff repeatedly made requests for Ford to run the authority within its means, the CEO pushed ahead, Ferguson said,

"What pains me as a human being, what pains me as a public servant, is that too many times, our declarations of the questions that were on his slide were overruled by a policy decision," Ferguson said.

"'We're going to go in this direction, and damn it, you all are going to figure it out,'" Ferguson characterized Ford as saying.

Those decisions from Ford left the Downtown Skyway running three years longer than JTA's leadership felt it should have, Ferguson said. Development of the $65 million Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Program (NAVI), an autonomous transit system Downtown, was accelerated to "meet a mandate" and an "artificial deadline."

Ferguson, who withdrew his name from consideration as JTA's long-term CEO, asked that he not be held responsible for Ford's actions, saying that he, and the rest of JTA's staff, worked at the pleasure of the top executive.

"Florida statute has one employee in the statute: the executive director, and everyone else works for the executive director, and the only employee of the board is the executive director. So God bless me. I am accountable for everything that has happened on my watch (beginning) August 27, 2026," Ferguson said.

"But God bless us all. From December of 2012, the buck stopped with the CEO of this agency all the way through to Aug. 27, 2026."

Ford resigned from JTA on July 3, initially preparing to depart the authority in January 2027. However, after Ford was hired by Dallas Area Rapid Transit later that month, he pushed his departure up to October.

After Ferguson was named interim CEO, the authority said, Ford began working in an advisory capacity.

Ferguson said that after he took over as interim CEO in August, Ford was asked to step away from the top position to allow for a fresh start in the authority's leadership. From that point on, Ferguson said, leadership was focused on stabilizing the authority's finances.

During that time, Chief Financial Officer Randall Barnes informed the leadership team they were facing what board Chair Aundra Wallace called a "fiscal cliff" – a $39 million budget shortfall heading into fiscal year 2027, a $14 million increase from the expected deficit.

Based on those assessments, JTA announced in September it would pause and cut several services while laying off nearly 200 employees.

"Our employees have carried the consequences of that uncertainty through workforce reductions, furloughs and repeated organizational changes, all while continuing the daily work of operating a transit agency," Ferguson said.

"They deserve acknowledgment for that service. They also deserve an organization that makes clear decisions, consistent priorities, and follows through. That is the discipline that we are working to restore."

Ferguson said he was pleased with the work the leadership team did to better understand JTA's financial picture and rightsize the budget.

"I'm very proud of the 30 or so days that I had sitting in this role to demonstrate honest leadership, to demonstrate integrity, to empower this team that there are no sacred cows," Ferguson said.

"Regardless of vision, regardless of legacy, we have a duty to this community to discharge our public responsibility in the most appropriate way, and that is providing the basic services for us to be able to move forward."

Ferguson to remain as interim CEO

Ferguson's comments came two days after board member Daniel Vallencourt called for him, Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Smith and Chief of Public Affairs Jessica Shepler to resign.

Vallencourt said JTA had not presented an accurate financial picture to board members.

Board member Max Glober and Chair Aundra Wallace both said the statements made by Vallencourt in his news release were accurate.

"I've got some choice four-letter words, but I can't use that in public. But the one word I will use is pissed. Seeing actual numbers and you not getting that information is what has (me) pissed," Ferguson said.

Vallencourt doubled down on those sentiments during the Oct. 28 board meeting before Ferguson's comments, but did not speak after Ferguson's remarks about Ford.

Instead, other board members backed Ferguson to remain on board as interim CEO.

"Cleveland, I have seen a difference with how we have been informed since you started," board member Elaine Brown said. "You have done an excellent job of making sure that everything that we're doing to move forward and to correct mistakes, you have kept us right in the loop to know what's going on."

Board members approved a measure Oct. 28 to authorize an independent third-party audit of the authority's finances. Glober said he would reserve his decision about any personnel matters until JTA received the results of that inquiry.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/oct/28/nat-ford-blamed-for-jtas-fiscal-cliff/

I'd really like to hear some more context of what exactly they had in mind with that statement. Somehow of all three original DPM programs, Jax has the shortest one, the only one that didn't commit to a normal modernization program this century, and the only one that instead way overshot for a decade trying to do something completely different and nonsensical.

Did that mean they thought there needed to be just an overhaul (like the Gateway report suggests), or a bigger system replacement, or did they seriously actually believe in throwing all that infrastructure away for nothing? We don't actually have it from the horse's mouth, but I would like to hear it.

^ Marcus, best of luck in getting your clarifications.  I get it.

However, I don't think after what is coming out about JTA now plus the headwinds in the economy, that, aside from a few Skyway diehards, there will be any public or political will to salvage the Skyway.  Between its long time disappointing history full of failed overly optimistic promises and low ridership, NAVI and, now, a major JTA scandal, who would entrust JTA with spending hundreds of millions on the Skyway?  Credibility around it is shot to hell.

Either mothball it for a few decades when the climate for it might improve or "salvage" it as pedestrian pathway (maybe, again, like mothballing it, buying time to a future world for it).  If Curry was back as mayor, his "demolition derby" would probably just tear it down  8) .

But the Skyway's ridership was rather high when it was functioning properly and had a predictable schedule. Also, that was way before UF and Gateway. Under Ford, it was designed to function like shit, so everyone would think the NAVI would save transit Downtown. He even contributed to the argument that no other type of system could work. That was a lie.

I'm not a diehard on any system, but if it functioned properly and went to areas of residential population, even if that was a cheap station in Brooklyn, none of this conversation would be happening. I really don't care what technology is used, but being elevated does add a hell of a benefit.

^This....and no, paying hundreds of millions to partially demolish and rebuild as a trail still doesn't make sense and would be a very fiscal irresponsible decision on Jax's part. Anyone who regularly rode the Skyway, JTA's highest line of ridership when it worked, knows there was an intentional decision to not invest in its upkeep as a part of a plan to implement the U2C/NAVI program.

What had been very reliable in the early 2000s when I started working downtown, was a shell of itself by 2022 when I resigned to launch my own practice.

Its sad but predictable to witness the deck of cards they built, come crashing down on taxpayers. Now everyone is predictably turning on each other and placing blame elsewhere.

My thoughts remain the same. We have to go through the pain to be able to finally advance. Clean house and get the books right.

Once those things are done and new leadership is in place, then evaluate the future and make sure that evaluation is community-led. However, don't allow the group in charge to make any long term decisions on the operation and planning of transit in this city.

Anyone want some non-working Skyway trains for the kids to play on?

https://www.govdeals.com/en/asset/8859/5389

Quote from: Steve on October 30, 2026, 03:54:06 PMAnyone want some non-working Skyway trains for the kids to play on?

https://www.govdeals.com/en/asset/8859/5389

Wow
Bought for $112 by somebody.
What a black eye for Jacksonville. 

In related news, Skyway service ended early this morning after "unexpected operational circumstances."

https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/service-alerts/skyway-service-update-due-to-unexpected-operational-circumstances-the-skyway-service-has-concluded-early-today-october-30/

So they're selling 4 trains. As I understand it they had 10. There has to be more to this.

Those look like old "parts" trains. Maybe MOSH should pick one up for one of their future exhibits....

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 30, 2026, 06:04:08 PMIn related news, Skyway service ended early this morning after "unexpected operational circumstances."

https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/service-alerts/skyway-service-update-due-to-unexpected-operational-circumstances-the-skyway-service-has-concluded-early-today-october-30/

LOL, because all the personnel that run the Skyway and are being terminated used their last days on the payroll for vacation leaving no one to mind the store???  I don't see a restart of the current system anytime soon, if ever.

To Ennis's points, the question remains what is the future of the track infrastructure?

It takes an outsider to understand why the ridership was low. I stopped riding the skyway when they shut down service early for no reason leaving me stuck downtown when I parked at the Kings Avenue Station. This happened twice. The system was designed to fail.

Quote from: jcjohnpaint on October 31, 2026, 09:23:14 AM

This video is great!  The narrator is entertaining, well informed and sticks to well researched facts with added commentary to keep the viewer interested.  Great promo for Jacksonville and Downtown, if not the Skyway. Thanks for posting!

Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 31, 2026, 11:55:11 AM

Quote from: jcjohnpaint on October 31, 2026, 09:23:14 AM

This video is great!  The narrator is entertaining, well informed and sticks to well researched facts with added commentary to keep the viewer interested.  Great promo for Jacksonville and Downtown, if not the Skyway. Thanks for posting!

Agreed! It's always so fun to see Jacksonville through an outsider's eyes too. Love this guy. Look forwarding to watching more of his videos.

There are a few more out there, but mostly to make fun of downtown Jacksonville. This guy did do research for sure.

For anyone figuring out an alternative after the Skyway pause, JTA has added a practical bus summary to its Skyway page: Green and Red First Coast Flyer lines for Downtown, Blue for the Southbank, plus local Routes 1, 3 and 11 depending on the trip. It lists First Coast Flyer frequency as 20 minutes on weekdays and 30 on weekends. Regular bus fares, including fare capping, apply.

Official information: https://www.jtafla.com/transit-services/skyway/

One caution when checking route directories: this independent JTA directory still lists the Skyway, but its displayed schedule feed ends October 31: https://train-bus-schedule.org/us/fl/duval-county/jacksonville-transportation-authority/ . A route appearing there is not evidence that it is operating after the pause. For a Kings Avenue return trip in particular, I would check the actual bus boarding stop and last departure for that day instead of assuming the old Skyway connection is available.

Quote from: fsu813 on October 12, 2026, 02:04:53 PM

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 12, 2026, 12:48:24 PMTimes-Union today discussing how JTA's finances deteriorated over the last two years.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

I'm a little curious by the lack of certain names being mentioned lately: Raj Srinath and Heather Obora. Srinath was CFO at JTA from October 2023 to June 2025, with Obora serving as interim seemingly until Randall Barnes took over in August this year. The extent of these budgeting mishaps really begs some questions about their leadership.

For anyone interested, it would be worth talking to Greg Hayes, the competent/principled CFO at JEA who was let go after 7 years in 2023, as well. He has a point of view.

Looks like they've had this conversation:

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/11/03/we-owe-it-to-the-taxpayers-jacksonville-committee-continues-to-seek-answers-on-40m-transit-authority-deficit/

JUST FOR FUN:

The average cost of a MONORAIL beam-way is around $100 million per mile. Add around $10 million per new 4-car trains.

Simple beam-way extensions to:
Atlantic in San Marco - 3,470 feet
Post Street in 5-Points - 4,600 feet
VA & UF Health near 8th Street in Springfield - 6,000 feet
AP Randolph in Fairfield - 5,380 feet

TOTAL - 19,450 feet or 3.68 miles of new beam-ways, all along City or State right-of-way and Parks.

Approximately $368 million for beam-way extensions and stations plus $40 million for 4 new trains.
$450 million rounded number to convert Skyway into a REAL 6.18 mile monorail mass transit system, but ignorance and lack of vision has unfortunately convinced the city and JTA to go from MASS TRANSIT TRAINS to golf carts.

Pure local incompetence, ignorance and greed unfortunately.

1. Incompetence (and self preservation) at JTA leadership level. Yes, someone with a spine would have left on ethic values alone.

2. Ignorance at the political/civil level. If you were not in the industry, Ford could sound like he was a visionary. In the industry, it sounded batshit crazy and plum dumb.

3. Then there's another group that did know better but said nothing to keep the gravy train going, as being public would definitely hurt your firm's ability to secure JTA contracts.

Quote from: marcuscnelson on November 03, 2026, 11:39:25 AM

Quote from: fsu813 on October 12, 2026, 02:04:53 PM

Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 12, 2026, 12:48:24 PMTimes-Union today discussing how JTA's finances deteriorated over the last two years.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/10/12/how-jta-racked-up-deficits-that-force-layoffs-and-transit-cuts/92157322007/

I'm a little curious by the lack of certain names being mentioned lately: Raj Srinath and Heather Obora. Srinath was CFO at JTA from October 2023 to June 2025, with Obora serving as interim seemingly until Randall Barnes took over in August this year. The extent of these budgeting mishaps really begs some questions about their leadership.

For anyone interested, it would be worth talking to Greg Hayes, the competent/principled CFO at JEA who was let go after 7 years in 2023, as well. He has a point of view.

Looks like they've had this conversation:

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/11/03/we-owe-it-to-the-taxpayers-jacksonville-committee-continues-to-seek-answers-on-40m-transit-authority-deficit/

Yup, they sure did!

Ford wears this debacle 110%.

Not a board member, mayor, governor, or subordinate staff.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7288/27476420853_1aa9006135_b.jpg)

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/nov/05/city-council-member-corner-lot-named-in-latest-jta-subpoena/

Attorney General Third Supoena List is interesting:
Greer Gillis, formerly JTA Chief Development Officer
Rahman Johnson, Council Person
(this is in regards to something with Corner Lot - alluded to it being Artea on the Southbank)

Jessica Shepler, JTA Chief of Public Affairs
Jordan Elsbury, Mayor Curry's former Chief of Staff and now a lobbyist
Michael Junco, Mayor Curry's former Chief of Staff
(this is in regards to Bread and Board, which closed a while back)

They are digging hard......wow.

^ Rahman Johnson is till on Council - he is the former council liaison to JTA

Johnson was a very strong supporter of U2C as well, to the point of being played on screens inside NAVI vehicles:

(https://photos.moderncities.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Transportation/Autonomous-Transit/i-jrJGh3G/0/MZz2PjpxgSKsBZq5PvHvfgKjpvsd8pBmmNFwLwcxG/X3/46-X3.jpg)

Quote from: tufsu1 on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 02:15:20 PM^ Rahman Johnson is till on Council - he is the former council liaison to JTA

Yea I knew that. Duh lol

Quote from: Steve on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 02:08:44 PMhttps://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/nov/05/city-council-member-corner-lot-named-in-latest-jta-subpoena/

(this is in regards to something with Corner Lot - alluded to it being Artea on the Southbank)
They are digging hard......wow.

QuoteJTA and Corner Lot partnered on the Artea multifamily transit-oriented development on the Downtown Southbank, where the authority and development group signed a 99-year lease adjacent to the Kings Avenue Station of JTA's Skyway overhead tram system. The attorney general's office did not identify if that was the issue at hand with Corner Lot in the subpoena.

The terms of the lease could be viewed as being on the favorable side to Corner Lot. The annual ground lease is $272k, increases 10% every 4 years, and then 2% annually after year 12. The lease was agreed upon in 2021, but payments didn't start until 2025 when the C/O was issued. Inflation is at about 22% since 2021, so $332k is the current equivalent to $272k in 2021. JTA is at risk of getting worked over badly by inflation on the deal. If hyperinflation ever happens, the rent is basically worthless. 

That doesn't mean anything sketchy happened. We all know JTA was great at making bad deals in the Ford years, but it's definitely another thing that makes you scratch your head.

Looking at who got subpoenaed, it would be interesting to see if they are looking at any quid pro quos with the Curry administration a la JEA backroom dealing.  Would be surprised if the GOP AG would go after Curry but would be happy to be surprised if so deserved  8) .