Let’s Get Back to the Basics at JTA

[Charles Hunter]

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.

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/

Navi 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.

[Ken_FSU]

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.

[jaxoNOLE]

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.

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.

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.

[fsu813]

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.

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.

[thelakelander]

People 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.

[marcuscnelson]

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.

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 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.

[Ken_FSU]

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

City 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.

[thelakelander]

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....

[marcuscnelson]

^ 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.

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.

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.

[Ken_FSU]

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

City 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:

The 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."

[thelakelander]

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.

[jaxlongtimer]

^ 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 day!

JTA 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  . 

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.

"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:

"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:

In 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?

A 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:

Ferguson 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.

Holon 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.

"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?

We 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.

[jaxlongtimer]

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.

'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/

[fsu813]

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

[Jax_Developer]

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?