JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Transportation Authority reported a nearly $9 million deficit in late December, according to a newly released council auditors’ report.
Action News Jax reporter Yona Gavino has been following JTA’s finances and asked the city auditor how this happened.
“This latest audit follows my last report on this in January, showing JTA was nearly $19 million over budget last year,” Yona Gavino said.
Last year’s overspending by JTA was driven by costs that included $10 million for its Connexion service and $7 million for its autonomous shuttle program. But revenue concerns don’t stop there.
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In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, JTA is showing an overall deficit of nearly $9 million, with the bus division already $9.2 million in the hole.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” one woman said.
JTA says it will end the year on budget, but auditors point to a potential problem with the math. The agency is banking on sales and gas tax revenue to come in exactly as planned, but initial projections show those collections might fall short, according to the council auditor’s report.
“I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me,” a local resident who does not ride JTA said.
It’s not just revenue—expenditures are climbing, too. Auditors say programs like Connexion Plus, JTA’s service for the elderly and disabled, were significantly under-budgeted.
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“It was a hit or miss. Just depended how they were running that day. It was not always consistent,” a resident who has used JTA services in the past, said.
Add in unexpected health insurance hikes for staff and lower fare revenue from a new pilot program, and the deficit grows.
JTA is now working on a budget amendment to address the gap, but the auditor says it’s still unclear how they’ll fix it.
In a statement, the city auditor said in part: “While JTA projects that they will be on budget for the ½ cent transportation tax and gas taxes, our first quarter projections indicate they may come in lower than budget. However, this is only a portion of potential budgetary issues and it really is too soon to tell from just one quarter.”
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