JTA Plans Major 2027 Cuts

[jaxlongtimer]

Wonder what Dallas thinks after seeing this article.  Totally mismanaged.  I bet all the millions in U2C bills are paid promptly though  .

Records show JTA has $15.06 million in delinquent bills

The independent authority, which suffered a budget deficit in FY2026 and a projected shortfall in 2027, has unpaid invoices dating as far back as 2014.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/jul/28/records-show-jta-has-1506-million-in-delinquent-bills/

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has $15.06 million worth of delinquent bills on its books, according to records provided to the Jacksonville Daily Record.

In invoice records dating back to the beginning of 2026, JTA's unpaid bills are at its highest level of the calendar year. In response to questions about the bills, the independent authority confirmed the amount was $15.06 million and said it had taken steps to pay them in two months.

The delinquencies date back to 2014, according to records, which break down the debt several ways. Of the total, $4.62 million is more than 60 days past due, $4.86 million is 31 to 60 days past due and $5.58 million is one to 30 days past due.

Of the $4.62 million that is more than 60 days past due, records show that $373,259.42 was overdue since July 1, 2025, and $2.95 million was overdue after April 1, 2026....

[thelakelander]

JTA CEO Nat Ford says farewell as council liaison pushes to cut autonomous vehicle program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford delivered his farewell address to the JTA Board of Directors on Wednesday, even as a city council representative arrived at the board room with a clear agenda: eliminate the city's autonomous vehicle program.

The dual developments mark a significant moment of transition for the agency that oversees the city's public transportation system.

Council liaison pushes to cut NAVI
City Councilman Rory Diamond, who serves as the council's liaison to the JTA Board, arrived Wednesday with a clear target: NAVI, the autonomous vehicle that operates in downtown Jacksonville.

Diamond holds no structural voting authority on the JTA Board, but represents the Jacksonville City Council, which controls the agency's purse strings. He and Ford had clashed repeatedly in recent months over whether the autonomous vehicle program is worth its cost.


"I do think it's time to cut NAVI — it's well beyond time," Diamond said. He confirmed he plans to raise the issue directly with the board and will also bring it before Jacksonville City Council to renegotiate the city's portion of the local option gas tax, which funds the NAVI program.

Two major questions now hang over JTA's future: how much taxpayer money it will cost to find a new CEO, and whether Jacksonville's autonomous vehicle program has reached the end of the road.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/07/29/board-to-discuss-future-of-jta-after-departure-of-ceo-nat-ford/

[CityLife]

Council liaison pushes to cut NAVI
City Councilman Rory Diamond, who serves as the council's liaison to the JTA Board, arrived Wednesday with a clear target: NAVI, the autonomous vehicle that operates in downtown Jacksonville.

Diamond holds no structural voting authority on the JTA Board, but represents the Jacksonville City Council, which controls the agency's purse strings. He and Ford had clashed repeatedly in recent months over whether the autonomous vehicle program is worth its cost.


"I do think it's time to cut NAVI — it's well beyond time," Diamond said. He confirmed he plans to raise the issue directly with the board and will also bring it before Jacksonville City Council to renegotiate the city's portion of the local option gas tax, which funds the NAVI program.

Two major questions now hang over JTA's future: how much taxpayer money it will cost to find a new CEO, and whether Jacksonville's autonomous vehicle program has reached the end of the road.

[jaxoNOLE]

^To a hammer, everything looks like a nail, but occasionally some thing actually is a nail. Today that thing happens to be NAVI.

The only issue with Diamond spearheading any renegotiation of LOGT monies is that he's not likely to support it going towards downtown or any true mass transit application.

[marcuscnelson]

Diamond was pretty upfront at the board meeting that he would seek to redirect LOGT funds to what he sees as Council's priorities, by which he rather explicitly meant some litany of road projects.

There are plenty of opportunities for the City to seek state and federal funding, especially now, for more road projects without needing to dedicate more gas tax funds on top of all the gas tax and sales tax and property tax and general funds already going to roads.

[thelakelander]

Diamond certainly won't be much of an advocate for any type of transit. He won't be in office long enough anyway. However, hopefully he can at least help put NAVI out of its misery once and for all.