Another day, another scandal involving the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. And this one was revealed by one of their own.
During JTA’s most recent board meeting, board member Megan Hayward dropped a bomb, asking several questions regarding JTA’s sponsorship payouts and discrepancies in ridership numbers reported to the federal government. Nat Ford, JTA’s CEO, of course had no idea what was going on, saying he would figure it out and present a report during the next board meeting. “Misreporting” ridership numbers is a big deal because the authority’s federal funding is based off those numbers. Hayward suggested the numbers are off by thousands.
Hayward was appointed to the board by Mayor Donna Deegan in October 2023. With more than a year left on her term, Deegan recently filed legislation to remove Hayward and replace her with fellow traveler Elaine Brown, the former mayor of Neptune Beach and former president of City Council. Which seems like an odd move on the surface, but for those paying attention, understand the move could be another political flex via the mayor to help JTA play its continuous game of C.Y.A.
In a statement Deegan said, “We are always looking to align board members with background and experience to move city priorities forward.” She claimed swapping a young board member she appointed for an older woman with some city miles, for “efficiency purposes” allows the board to “carry on the work of JTA for Jacksonville.” Deegan said she has “no doubt” Brown will “serve JTA with the same servant’s heart that has benefited our community for decades.”
Aligning board members? Efficiency? “Benefited”? Servant’s heart? Just the language being used to describe/defend Deegan’s board member lady swap is enough to raise more than a few red flags.
It seems like the behind-the-scenes political maneuvering and the potential loss of a board seat, spurred Hayward to bravely voice her concerns regarding a numbers game involving ridership data as well as the legality of shady sponsorship payouts by fellow board members.
Hayward asked the board for an audit of more than $60,000 worth of sponsorship money paid to JAXUSA. The president of JAXUSA is Aundra Wallace. Wallace was the CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority before joining the so-called “private nonprofit.” Wallace is also the current Vice Chair of JTA’s Board of Directors.
“I want to make sure that this is aboveboard, that we’re actually building public trust,” Hayward said. She continued, “As this is a direct payment to one of our board members, I strongly believe this needs to be looked at by an independent auditor so that we know that this isn’t exposing the board to any liability.”
The attorney representing JTA claims in a legal opinion that sponsorship payouts are totally legal.
Hayward isn’t buying it.
“Perception is reality, and even if there is a legal loophole that allows us to make direct payments to board members, there’s a perception of it. We need to appear beyond reproach,” Hayward said.
She isn’t wrong. There is a perception out there. Unfortunately for JTA, sponsorship records reveal perception really is reality.
Last year, the authority justified “sponsorships,” i.e. cash giveaways, in a statement sent to Action News Jax journalist Emily Turner: “JTA’s commitment to service within our community is woven into the social fabric of northeast Florida and is expressed through our partnerships, support, and donations to organizations that also serve our community.”
Turner put together an important investigative televised report giving a voice to JTA’s customers left at the bus stop, called Taken for a Ride. It is a must watch and a gift to taxpayers.
Inspired by Turner’s incredible investigative reporting, I decided to figure out which organizations were “woven” so tightly into our “social fabric” JTA board members must give them public money to continue serving us with our own tax dollars.
Using public records, I simply followed the money.
It was extremely easy to figure out, JTA’s so-called publicly funded “sponsorships” have nothing to do with public transportation and can be inferred as payoffs to favorite organizations of JTA’s CEO, the CEO’s wife, board members, etc. And could that be why Hayward now has to go? She poked the dragon. Now it’s after her.
My article, JTA, DEI, & Consultants. Oh My, spotlights organizations, public institutions, and nonprofits which received public funds from JTA and tidbits about each group.
For this half-recycled article, I’ll only rehash the organizations connected to JTA’s board members, CEO and executive leadership. You just have to promise to read my previous article detailing the eye-opening amounts the board spent on professional sports leagues, race-based organizations, nonprofits, consulting firms, and taxpayer funded city agencies after reading this article, of course.
According to the website, “JAXUSA Partnership, the private nonprofit division of Jax Chamber, is Jacksonville’s regional economic development initiative overseeing the efforts of the seven counties of Northeast Florida.” The, um… “private nonprofit” is supposed to use their powers of persuasion to lure economic growth and capital investment to Jacksonville. Later on, we’ll circle back to the Chamber.
JAXUSA isn’t the only organization receiving money from JTA to which Wallace is involved.
In 2023 JTA awarded Florida’s Public Transportation Association a $150,000 sponsorship for an “educational campaign.” Wallace and Nat Ford, the CEO of JTA, served on Florida’s Public Transportation Association’s board.
Wallace is also on the board of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). ULI received a $45,000 sponsorship from JTA. The front page of JAXUSA’s website brags, Jacksonville is “consistently named a supernova city by Urban Land Institute.”
TEAMFL received $30,000 in sponsorship cash from JTA. TEAMFL’s mission is to “promote a financially sustainable, user fee-based transportation model.” Ford and Greer Johnson Gillis, senior V.P/chief infrastructure & development officer, and former DEI officer for JTA, are governing board members for TEAMFL.
Last year JTA gave $3,500 to sponsor the First Coast Business Hall of Fame. Former Board Member Ari Jolly was named in the Class of 2024’s “Hall of Fame.” One way to view this, she basically paid f0or her own award with our money.
Jolly also served on the board of the Cultural Council along with Ford’s wife, Janet Walker-Ford. JTA paid the Cultural Council $3,500 for some art awards event in 2020 and $5,000 in 2021.
Board Member Patricia Sams also serves as program director of a local African ancestry women’s group called The Links. The Links received $5,000 from JTA so the women could enjoy an “Evening of Smooth Jazz,” on the taxpayer’s dime. Sams is the former “diversity change agent” for the Jacksonville Electric Authority.
JTA donated $5,000 to the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO,) in 2021 to be one of eight Bronze Sponsors of a virtual conference.
COMTO claims to be the “voice of equity in transportation,” and believes “diversity moves the nation.” The group’s mission is to “ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the transportation industry” for “minority individuals, veterans, people with disabilities and certified MWDBE businesses.” MWDBE stands for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise. So… basically, COMTO advocates for everyone’s involvement in public transportation except white dudes and children. You don’t have to take my word, read more here: COMTO.org
In 2022, JTA paid the group $10,000 for a “Platinum” sponsorship of the annual “Women Who Move the Nation” event. That same year Jolly, was named COMTO’s Public Transportation Honoree as part of the group’s “Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation” awards. JTA’s donation the following year went back down to $5 grand.
Johnson Gillis is one of Women Who Move the Nation Committee Members and named on the “Council of President’s” list in 2017. Ford’s wife, Walker-Ford was also named as a “Past Honoree.” Walker-Ford is a business, advisory, and planning executive for WSP, which is listed as an “Industry Partner” of COMTO.
COMTO Week 2022 was held in Jacksonville. That year’s event theme was being an “equity champion.” During the conference, Ford and Wallace held an “intimate fireside chat about equity, economic growth, and the role of transportation in tying it all together in Northeast Florida.” The event’s promotional brochure spelled “Regency” incorrectly.
Christopher Macklin was listed as part of COMTO’s national leadership that same year. At the time, Macklin was serving as JTA’s disadvantaged business enterprise diversity compliance officer.
COMTO Week 2024 was back in Jacksonville this past November. The group got to once again celebrate “Equity in Transportation,” on our dime as well as an error free brochure.
JTA donated $1,000 to a group called the Young Professionals in Transportation for a “Bike Level Sponsorship,” of some event. Ford is on the Board of Advisors and Walker-Ford’s company, WSP USA, is also affiliated with the organization.
Young Professionals in Transportation believes public transportation is rooted in systemic racism. “Transportation has an element of systemic racism that has allowed racism, discrimination, and intolerance to sustain itself,” the group’s website states. The group teaches public transportation was created by and designed for white straight men, who are not handicapped, and use he/him pronouns; therefore, white people must “address” racism in public transit, so POC feel safe within “modes of transportation” and are no longer “systematically targeted for demise.” The equity section of the group’s website reads, “The traditional makeup of our industry has predominately been of one race, gender identity, sexuality, and of fully-abled bodies creating change that only represents these limited voices.” Read more about this organization here.
JTA paid the Jax Chamber $9,500 for the Chamber’s leadership to take a trip and serve lunch. JTA’s former board members Abel Harding and Jolly served on the Chamber’s Executive Committee. Wallace and Ford are on Jax Chamber’s board, as well as Darryl Willie, DCPS board member for District 4, and Ron Salem, former City Council president.
Last year, JTA gave $5,000 to the “Ron Salem Installation Fund.”
JTA also gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money to agencies already funded by the taxpayer. Duval County Public Schools, MLK Breakfast, Juneteenth celebration, DuPont Foundation, MOSH, United Negro College Fund, NAACP, universities, and the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus all received money. Thousands of dollars even went towards funding virtual events. JTA even gave money toward several minority college fraternities annual golf tournaments.
Even Deegan’s favorite charity received money from JTA. After civilian Deegan became Mayor Deegan, JTA gave the Donna Foundation a $20,000 “sponsorship.” Deegan is one of Ford’s biggest cheerleaders and has referred to him as a “visionary.” She is also a huge fan of JTA.
If the mayor’s attempted board member coup is simply an honest business decision so the board can “carry on the work of JTA for Jacksonville,” then we would have to assume Hayward wasn’t holding up her end of the bargain. However, that wasn’t reflected in Deegan’s statement calling Hayward “a true and innovative leader.”
To be fully transparent, according to JTA’s website, Hayward and her husband are part of the ownership group of the Jacksonville Icemen. Before Hayward sat on JTA’s Board, the authority paid the Icemen $17,500 for a “Corporate Sponsorship” in 2020. In April 2023, JTA gave the Icemen $8,000 for a “Sponsorship Request.” Hayward is also on the board of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. Back in 2022, JTA paid the Women’s Center $2,500 towards a “Bronze Sponsorship.”
In her statement about Hayward, Deegan also said, “I look forward to her continued service to Jacksonville as we work together to expand her role serving the community.”
Hayward is already serving the community by doing the job Deegan hand-picked her to do on the JTA board. That’s the problem. She’s gone “rogue” advocating on behalf of JTA’s customers and taxpayers. JTA’s board and executive leadership team’s priority is preserving and protecting themselves above all else. That is evident in everything they do. Even the authority’s strategic operating plan prioritizes JTA employees as its number one initiative.
Adding to the drama, there is a rumor circulating about how Deegan’s removal campaign against her own pick began. Councilmen Rahman Johnson, D, District 14, is Council Liaison to JTA as well as a Council Liaison to the Joint Planning Committee and, ironically, the Safety & Crime Reduction Commission.
Word on the street is, Johnson allegedly created and shopped around the council a three-page dossier advocating for Hayward’s replacement. I emailed Councilmen Johnson several times asking him to confirm or deny the rumor. He has yet to respond.
Knowing all of this, one might possibly assume, JTA’s leadership and city government, including Jacksonville’s first female Democrat mayor, are relying on previously unnoticed political tradecraft hoping they themselves don’t end up DOGE-ed, indicted… or even worse, removed from power.
Hayward has only six weeks left on the board if Deegan gets her way. The City Council who voted for Megan Hayward to be on the board should leave her on it. Why remove someone who is upholding her fiduciary responsibilities by asking questions and ensuring our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely?
Don’t forget, they only get away with it because we let them.
#PowertothePeople
#WithMaliceTowardsNone
