JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We’ll likely start getting an idea of the future of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority after their regular board meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The JTA Board is expected to discuss the future after the recent resignation of chief executive officer Nathaniel Ford, who has accepted the job as president and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
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Under Ford’s leadership, the JTA said, the agency reached several milestones that helped raise Jacksonville’s national profile in public transportation, including:
- developing the First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit system, the largest BRT network in the southeastern United States;
- constructing the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center, an award-winning multimodal mobility hub;
- winning more than $400 million in federal discretionary grants and supporting a local option gas tax extension that generated $1 billion for regional infrastructure;
- completing JTAMobilityWorks, a 27-project road-building and complete streets initiative, two years ahead of schedule;
- implementing the Route Optimization Initiative, the first complete redesign of JTA’s transit system in 34 years;
- expanding JTA’s regional footprint across Baker, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties, including restoration of the St. Johns River Ferry;
- launching the Ultimate Urban Circulator, the nation’s first deployment of an autonomous vehicle service in public transit; and
- attracting HOLON’s first U.S. autonomous vehicle manufacturing facility, a $200 million investment projected to generate $87 million annually for Florida’s economy.
Mayor Donna Deegan praised Ford’s tenure, saying his leadership helped make the authority a model for innovation and a catalyst for economic growth.
“Nat has been a dedicated partner to the City of Jacksonville, and his vision and collaborative spirit helped move our community forward in meaningful ways,” she said.
Board Chair Aundra Wallace thanked Ford and JTA staff for advancing mobility solutions for Northeast Florida.
“Under the leadership of Nat, JTA has built a national reputation for innovating, particularly in the autonomous vehicle space at the same time the JTA team remains true to the core of what we do best — providing safe, reliable and affordable public transportation to our community,” she said.
The JTA Board’s meeting is at 4 p.m. at their headquarters at 100 LaVilla Center Dr. Wallace said the board plans to discuss next steps for the CEO position at that meeting.