JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Attorney General’s Office is now investigating JTA.
It comes after the agency announced nearly 200 layoffs and reduced services to try and close a nearly $40 million budget shortfall.
City Council’s JTA Liaison Rory Diamond (R-District 13) said he’s glad to see the Attorney General get involved.
“The taxpayers, the people who ride and rely on JTA, all the people who got fired last week, they deserve answers,” said Diamond.
The statewide prosecutor is seeking copies of contracts between JTA and Dream Builders Consulting, Jones-Worley Designs, Jacobs Project Management Company and Mason Nye Murals.
According to Jones-Worley Designs’ website, the company designed JTA’s NAVI logo and shuttle wrap design.
Action News Jax previously reported on an Inspector General’s report that looked into JTA’s contract with Mason Nye Murals to paint the agency’s Myrtle Avenue Operation Campus in 2024.
That report found the contract included “exorbitant” travel and lodging expenses and suggested the company may have gotten insider information to help it land the job.
The statewide prosecutor is also requesting all communications between outgoing CEO Nat Ford, his wife, and the CEO of Dream Builders Consulting, a company that provides executive coaching.
Additionally, the subpoena requests contracts related to wellness services, including massages, tuition reimbursement policies and spending, along with ridership numbers for JTA services including the NAVI.
Action News Jax has been raising questions about all three issues since 2024.
“These folks are getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and on top of that they got fancy travel, massages in the office, free tuition reimbursement and who knows what else,” said Diamond.
In a statement, JTA told Action News Jax the agency “remains committed to transparency and accountability and will provide information as requested throughout this process”.
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