JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the Jacksonville Transportation Authority prepared to cut jobs and services to deal with a $39 million budget hole, records obtained by Action News Jax’s Ben Becker show the agency was still spending thousands on travel, even approving one request on the same day massive layoffs were announced.
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‘No one is willing to say no’
The records show JTA spent more than $12,000 on airfare, hotels, and registration for four people attending the American Public Transportation Association conference in Chicago Oct. 4-7. Former CEO Nat Ford also attended, but JTA said he paid his own way.
The JTA-funded travelers were Board Vice Chair Patricia Sams, board member Alan Hopkins, Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Smith, and project manager Alexander Traversa.
The spending came as JTA was laying off nearly 200 workers and cut transit services including bus routes, the Skyway, and NAVI.
“This is absolutely crazy,” Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond, the council’s liaison to JTA, told Action News Jax. “No one is willing to say no to anything over there, they should have stopped all the travel, all the silliness, all the perks.”
Inside the numbers
One travel request shows Sams’ trip was pre-authorized Aug. 8 by Ford and was estimated to cost more than $3,300. That included $1,375 for conference registration, more than $1,450 for her hotel, and $532.80 for airfare.
The records also show Sams’ conference schedule included a leadership reception hosted by WSP, a company that had about $1.6 million in contracts with JTA.
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WSP has previously drawn scrutiny because Ford’s wife, Janet Walker-Ford, is a senior vice president with the company.
Records involving WSP were also requested as part of the Florida Attorney General’s ongoing investigation into JTA.
Questionable timing
Records show Ford pre-authorized Hopkins’ travel on Sept. 17, the same day JTA announced the layoffs and service reductions.
Action News Jax asked JTA why the conference travel was necessary given the authority’s financial problems and why Ford was approving travel when he was no longer the CEO after Cleveland Ferguson took on the job in an interim role on Aug. 27.
JTA did not answer the Ford question.
Ford initially announced his resignation on July 3, with the expectation he was staying until Jan. 2027, but instead started a new job as the CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit on Oct. 26.
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“The JTA’s attendance at the APTA conference was limited and based on specific business and industry responsibilities,” a JTA spokesperson said.
JTA also said that, given its current financial challenges, “all travel and conference participation is being evaluated with heightened scrutiny to ensure it provides a clear business benefit to the Authority.”
“Can you imagine how tone deaf you have to be to be firing 200 people because you don’t have enough money to run JTA and go on a boondoggle to Chicago?” Diamond said. “It’s outrageous. Everyone should be ashamed.”
What’s next
The City Council Finance Committee has been seeking testimony from Ford about JTA’s financial problems.
Diamond said Ford will appear before the committee on Jan. 19 but it’s unclear if it will be in person or virtual.
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