JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has been subpoenaed by the state in connection with the shakeup at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
Action News Jax told you last week when JTA’s interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson was also subpoenaed.
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This means they will be required to turn over specific documents in relation to JTA.
For Deegan, the state is interested in her notes from a meeting with former JTA board member Megan Hayward.
Our reporting is specifically mentioned in the subpoena.
Hayward revealed to us that she brought concerns over JTA to Deegan in March 2025.
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Deegan referenced that meeting and said she looked back over her notes, but never acknowledged Hayward’s claim.
This investigation comes as JTA faces a $39 million financial crisis.
We have spent three years reporting on questions surrounding JTA contracts, spending, and tuition programs.
We first told you three weeks ago about nearly 200 layoffs at the agency plus service changes due to the budget crisis.
Deegan spoke about that deficit in a one-on-one interview with our radio partner 104.5 WOKV on Tuesday morning before we received the new subpoena.
She said there needs to be some accountability, including from the agency’s previous leadership.
When asked about former CEO Nat Ford, Deegan said he is a visionary person, but that what happened to JTA is unacceptable.
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“I have always had a high opinion of Nat. I need to find out what happened here, but he’s the leader of the organization and therefore, that’s his responsibility. So I think there is a lot to answer for there. So certainly I’m disappointed,” she said.
We told you when Ford was named the CEO of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit and his last day with JTA is later this month.
We reached out to him for comment about the JTA shakeup and are waiting to hear back.
Mayor Deegan’s office released this full statement regarding the subpoena:
“JTA is a regional state transportation agency with state employees, a majority of board members who are appointed by the Governor, and a budget that is reviewed and approved by the Jacksonville City Council.
“We took the concerns raised by Mrs. Hayward seriously, as did the City Council. The City Council even held up Board Member Brown’s nomination until the concerns were addressed. Ultimately, the City Council indicated they were satisfied by these answers and unanimously confirmed Mrs. Brown.
“We can confirm that a request has been received for notes from Mayor Deegan’s meeting with Megan Hayward. The legal guidance we were provided is that these personal notes never shared with another person are not public records. However, we are fully cooperating with the Office of Statewide Prosecution.
“To clear up any confusion on the former board member’s part, the owner of the notes and staff member who joined is Chief Communications Officer Phil Perry. Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Inderhees did not attend the meeting and has never met Mrs. Hayward. In the spirit of transparency, these notes will be provided after they are reviewed by the Office of General Counsel and delivered to the Office of Statewide Prosecution.”
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