In the wake of the leader of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority seemingly floating bringing back tolls during a meeting with City Council members, Mayor Donna Deegan and JTA itself are saying respectively that’s a non-starter and that reporters misinterpreted what was actually said.

While it’s still not clear how the agency will resolve a $39 million operating deficit, what’s clear is that there is no appetite to impose road usage fees on motorists, meaning the costs will be socialized some other way than reimposing fees to use roads, a practice discontinued in the 1980s after voters approved a half-cent sales tax to replace them.

“During the City Council’s first Financial Audit and Oversight Committee Meeting with JTA, the possibility of tolls was discussed. Jacksonville has been down this road before, and the people have already spoken loud and clear. I will oppose any effort by JTA, a regional state agency, to bring back tolls that would make it even more expensive to drive in our city. There are many other solutions that should be considered to alleviate the current financial crisis. Tolls are not one of them,” Deegan said in a rare Saturday morning declaration from her press office.

The Mayor expects the board to “get the fiscal house in order,” though it’s not clear how confident she is in the ability of the seven-person panel to do so. This week, she proactively issued an executive order that “encourages” Jacksonville board appointees to get financial training. She expects the City Council will codify the recommendations.

JTA blames “inaccurate reporting” for the misinterpretation, claiming that Interim Chief Executive Officer Cleveland Ferguson III “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.”

The clean-up attempt comes amid a series of rough news cycles for the independent authority.

Attorney General James Uthmeier has opened an investigation into JTA, complete with a subpoena to Interim CEO Ferguson for records related to tuition reimbursements and internal management communications.

The probe comes after JTA laid off 194 employees to address a $39 million budget shortfall.

Ferguson has told the JTA Board of Directors that Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is seeking documents spanning Oct. 1, 2023, through Oct. 21, 2025, with additional requests extending into 2026, the Times-Union reported. Investigators are also examining JTA’s relationship with a development firm that does business with the agency, including connections between outgoing CEO Nat Ford, his spouse, and the firm.

Ferguson confirmed that the subpoena covers communications involving him regarding scholarships and tuition reimbursements. Ferguson has told the Board that JTA will cooperate fully with the investigation.

The subpoena adds to a turbulent stretch for JTA. Beyond the September layoffs, the agency is pausing its Skyway elevated people mover on Nov. 2 and its autonomous NAVI vehicle service on Dec. 31. JTA is also restructuring bus routes citywide, including changes to the First Coast Flyer rapid transit system, with some routes shifting from 30-minute to hourly service.

Ferguson was named interim CEO in late August after Ford announced his resignation to lead the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Ford’s formal exit is set for October.

Whoever the new CEO is has a cleanup mission as the first order of business.