Updated October 9: The Jacksonville Business Journal revised its report to describe Cleveland Ferguson III’s remarks as hypothetical examples of generating toll revenue from transportation infrastructure. And JTA reached out to us. The revised account does not identify a proposal to restore tolls on Jacksonville’s existing bridges. This article replaces our earlier version and reflects that distinction.

What JTA’s Interim CEO Actually Discussed

Jacksonville Transportation Authority interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III discussed toll revenue as a possible long-term funding source during an October 9 City Council committee meeting. According to the revised Jacksonville Business Journal report, he offered hypothetical examples of how transportation infrastructure could generate income. He also discussed private partnerships and opportunities to retain infrastructure rather than turn completed roads over to the city or state. The report identifies no specific bridge, toll rate, implementation schedule or approved tolling plan.

That distinction matters. Ferguson raised a financing option while discussing how JTA could sustain its operations and projects. Council President Nick Howland subsequently told the Business Journal that tolls would face a tough fight. Residents can scrutinize the suggestion without treating it as a settled proposal to charge drivers on Jacksonville’s currently toll-free bridges.

A $39 Million Shortfall Raises the Stakes

JTA has announced a $39 million budget shortfall and plans to eliminate up to 194 positions. The Business Journal reports that the Skyway ceased operations this month and NAVI is scheduled to shut down in January. City Council is also considering allowing JTA to use up to $30 million in local gas tax funds to pay down debt. These decisions already carry consequences for workers, riders and the transportation projects those taxes were intended to support.

Ferguson told the committee that JTA needs to weigh financial risks more closely when planning automation and innovation projects, according to the revised report. His presentation acknowledged the difficulty of sustaining expensive projects without adequate budgets. That recognition is necessary, but it leaves an immediate question for the council’s review. What spending and oversight failures must JTA fix before it asks the public to support another source of revenue?

Jacksonville Still Pays Its Toll Replacement Tax

The history of Jacksonville’s bridge tolls gives that discussion important context. Former Mayor Tommy Hazouri led the effort to remove tolls and replace their revenue with a half-cent transportation sales tax. Jacksonville’s fiscal year 2026 budget still calls that revenue source the “Tax of Toll.” It describes the tax as permanent funding for roads, bridges, buses and other transportation purposes, with collections forwarded to JTA.

That continuing tax does not establish that every future transportation project is fully funded. It does require JTA to explain how any new toll arrangement would fit alongside the revenue residents already provide. Would it finance a new facility, improvements to an existing one or broader agency operations? Those purposes should be clearly identified before officials ask residents to judge whether another charge is justified.

For many longtime residents, toll discussions also revive the belief that they have paid for Jacksonville’s bridges repeatedly. Historical reporting documents that toll collection continued long after the construction costs of some bridges had been paid, while toll revenue also supported other roads and system obligations. Residents have paid the replacement sales tax for decades since. That history helps explain why any future proposal involving the old toll-free crossings would encounter strong scrutiny.

Who Selected Cleveland Ferguson to Lead JTA?

Ferguson is serving as interim CEO, but he brings more than eleven years of executive experience within JTA. Its seven-member board unanimously selected him in August after deciding to consider only internal candidates for the temporary position. He most recently served as executive vice president and chief administrative officer. The board is conducting a separate national search for a permanent CEO.

Before joining JTA in 2015, Ferguson served as Jacksonville’s deputy chief administrative officer under Mayor Alvin Brown from 2012 to 2015. His earlier career included teaching at Florida Coastal School of Law and working as an attorney for the Florida Public Service Commission. His civic service includes a current trustee position at the Museum of Science & History and past service on the JAX Chamber Board of Governors. For the financial review, his responsibilities inside JTA are more directly relevant than those outside affiliations.

His Earlier Risk and Audit Responsibilities Matter

When JTA hired Ferguson, his assigned responsibilities included internal audit, risk management, ethics and legal services. The authority’s fiscal year 2026 organizational chart placed Audit & Compliance, Procurement and Risk Management within his administration division. Those responsibilities give council members a concrete basis for examining the agency’s earlier oversight. What warnings did those functions produce, who received them and what action followed?

Ferguson’s current call for closer attention to project risk should be examined alongside that history. His previous duties do not establish that he approved a particular budget error or knew a project was unaffordable. They do make it reasonable to ask what information reached him, former CEO Nat Ford and the board before JTA’s financial condition deteriorated. The council’s review should establish how those decisions occurred as well as how the authority intends to recover.

Tolling Powers Do Not Amount to an Approved Plan

Florida law permits JTA to enter certain agreements with private entities involving highways, bridges and other transportation facilities. Such agreements can authorize tolls, subject to statutory requirements that include protecting users against unreasonable costs. That provides a legal framework for the hypothetical financing arrangements Ferguson discussed. It does not establish that a particular facility can or will be tolled without further decisions and applicable approvals.

If JTA develops a specific proposal, residents should receive its financial assumptions and proposed terms before officials endorse it. The authority should identify the facility, ownership, necessary approvals, collection costs and any private partner’s share of revenue. It should also explain how long charges would continue and what obligations they would support. A general reference to tolling authority cannot answer those practical questions.

JTA Must Demonstrate That Its Accounting and Spending Controls Work

JTA’s financial crisis is now receiving scrutiny from both state investigators and City Council. The Florida Attorney General’s subpoena seeks records concerning contracts, policies and specified communications, while council examines the authority’s finances and operations. Those proceedings have not established that money was stolen or that a particular official committed wrongdoing. They nevertheless reinforce the need to test how JTA accounts for and controls public spending.

Providing a list of revenue sources will not be enough. JTA must demonstrate that its budget assumptions are defensible, expenses are fully recorded, contracts receive proper scrutiny and internal controls catch problems before they become multimillion-dollar shortfalls. Independent reviewers should identify what failed, who received warnings and whether the changes now underway address those failures. Residents should not be asked to provide more money while uncertainty remains about whether JTA can reliably account for and protect the funds it already receives.

Hazouri’s Legacy Could Shape Any Future Bridge Toll Debate

Removing bridge tolls was one of Tommy Hazouri’s defining achievements as mayor. His cousin Donna Deegan now holds that office, and she has publicly praised his Jacksonville legacy. Ferguson’s hypothetical discussion has not produced a specific bridge toll proposal for her to support or oppose. If such a plan emerges, however, Hazouri’s history would give Deegan a distinctive position in the debate.

Deegan could oppose charging drivers on those crossings again and make preserving Hazouri’s achievement a rallying point of her own. Jacksonville removed the old tolls, established a replacement tax and continues collecting it today. Defending that arrangement could have political force ahead of the 2027 city election, although her response to any future proposal remains unknown. The immediate obligation belongs to JTA: establish trustworthy finances and effective spending controls before seeking additional public revenue.

THE JTA AT A CROSSROADS SERIES!