Florida AG Subpoenas JTA as Agency Tries to Close $39 Million Budget Gap

# What happened

Jacksonville Transportation Authority. JTA confirmed receipt and said it will cooperate and provide requested materials.

The subpoena was obtained by Jacksonville Today via a public records request and asks for contracts, communications and other records linked to vendors, services and the authority's former CEO, Nathaniel (Nat) Ford. It also requests ridership numbers JTA reported for the Downtown autonomous vehicle shuttle service, NAVI.

# Why this matters now

JTA is already under significant financial pressure. The agency has announced measures to address a $39 million budget shortfall that include laying off as many as 194 staff, reducing bus route schedules and halting NAVI and Skyway services. Those operational cuts affect riders and county contracts and require coordination with city and county leaders.

The subpoena adds a legal and investigatory layer to the agency's fiscal crisis. State scrutiny focuses on a window of records and several specific relationships and contracts, which could influence public trust and how local officials respond.

# What the subpoena seeks

Investigators asked for records primarily covering Oct. 1, 2023 through Oct. 21, 2025, and requested:

• Contracts with vendors, including one related to wellness and massage services.
• Certain contracts through 2026 with an organizational development firm.
• Communications involving former CEO Nathaniel Ford, his spouse Janet Walker-Ford, Kenston Griffin (founder and CEO of Dream Builders Communications Inc.), and the owner of the organizational development firm.
• Text messages and email communications between named individuals and references to contracts with Mason Nye Murals.
• Ridership numbers for the NAVI autonomous shuttle as reported to the American Public Transportation Association.
• The authority's tuition reimbursement policy and records related to scholarships and tuition referenced in communications.

JTA interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson informed the board about the subpoena in a memo and said the authority is preserving potentially responsive records. Ferguson's memo referenced legal counsel handling questions about scope and response.

# How local government is responding

City and state oversight intersect because JTA operates as a state agency while Jacksonville city leaders approve its annual operating budget. Mayor Donna Deegan's office reiterated support for transparency and welcomed JTA's cooperation with investigators. City Council President Nick Howland said the city will pursue its own select committee investigation into the budget shortfall.

Council members are already reviewing an interlocal agreement that would allow JTA to use $30 million of local option gas tax revenue to help close the gap. JTA's board earlier approved a plan to use $30 million appropriated for major projects to pay down debt, a step that requires City Council approval.

# Immediate operational impacts

Operational decisions announced before the subpoena remain in effect: potential layoffs, reduced bus service, and suspension of NAVI and Skyway. Clay County has already moved to end a JTA transportation contract and seek a scaled-back agreement.

# What to watch next

• How quickly JTA produces records and whether the subpoena leads to further state action.
• Council vote on allowing use of $30 million in local gas tax funds.
• Operational decisions that affect service levels and the final size and timing of layoffs.