JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s interim CEO mentioned tolls during a meeting about the agency’s efforts to deal with a $39 million 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 seemed to offer tolling as one possible revenue source, not as a finalized plan.
But JTA sent a release on Saturday, clarifying Ferguson’s comments:
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
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
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City Council members and the mayor both voiced concerns about Ferguson’s comments.
“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.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan also responded on Saturday, saying tolls would not be the answer to JTA’s budget issues.
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.
Council members also approved an agreement allowing JTA to use $30 million in gas tax revenue to address its debt.
“The other part, and I think we’re all concerned, is the sharp reduction in revenue when it was recognized, why it wasn’t brought forward,” Councilman Ron Salem said. He said the committee may need to ask people to come forward and answer questions, adding that he hoped participation would be voluntary.
The committee plans to review JTA’s finances, leadership decisions and how whistleblower concerns were handled. It also could influence which transportation projects receive local gas tax dollars. A separate, more in-depth financial investigation is still being arranged.
Howland said the committee would examine governance, including the departure of former JTA CEO Nat Ford about two and a half months before the financial crisis was revealed.
JTA officials told the committee they are reviewing quarterly summaries dating to 2023, when they believe the agency was on solid financial footing. They said they hope to provide the committee with the records at a future meeting.
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.
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