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.”
Mayor Deegan is disappointed that Jacksonville residents will be facing new inconveniences and disruptions in public transit. JTA must focus on improving its financial situation and the services that customers rely on every day.
JTA’s board was not previously aware of the dire nature of the agency’s financial situation. We became aware as they did. JTA officially notified the Mayor’s Office of the new budget cuts and layoffs on Thursday morning before their announcement. 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.
The City’s Employee Services Division is working to reach out to the JTA employees impacted to provide resources and information on job openings at the City of Jacksonville, other independent agencies, and partners.
Mayor Deegan is focused on working with the current JTA leadership on solutions that solve their financial situation. Hyperpartisan finger pointing about decisions made by an independent agency won’t move us forward.
Long term, the community deserves full transparency and a complete understanding of how this happened.
Office of Mayor Donna Deegan
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.
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