JTA Releases Subpoenaed Records Amid Budget Shortfall
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority released records produced for an attorney general criminal investigative subpoena as it faces a roughly $39 million shortfall.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Government
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The Jacksonville Transportation Authority released records on Tuesday that it produced in response to a criminal investigative subpoena from the Florida attorney general's office. The subpoena sought contracts, salary information, business travel documentation, sponsorship details, and communications among JTA leaders and Mayor Donna Deegan.
Why it matters
The subpoena comes as JTA faces a roughly $39 million budget shortfall, drawing scrutiny to the agency's spending and finances. Residents and transit users in Jacksonville have a stake in how the authority manages public money.
The attorney general's office issued a criminal investigative subpoena to JTA in early October, and JTA released responsive contracts, salary details, and travel records on Tuesday. The text and email communications requested by the subpoena had not been included in the initial releases, and the investigation remains active.
The players
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
The Jacksonville, Florida agency that operates the city's public transit system and is the subject of the attorney general's subpoena.
Cleveland Ferguson
The interim chief executive of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, whose communications with former CEO Nat Ford were requested in the subpoena.
Nat Ford
The former chief executive of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, whose communications with Cleveland Ferguson were requested in the subpoena.
Donna Deegan
The mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, whose text and email communications with JTA leaders were requested in the subpoena.
The details
The subpoena requested contracts, salary information, documentation of business trips taken by some JTA employees, and sponsorship information, as well as communications among interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson, former CEO Nat Ford, and Mayor Donna Deegan about any audit of JTA and the agency's financial health. JTA earlier released records detailing spending on training, consulting, and purchasing cards.
Timeline
Early October 2026: The attorney general's office issues a criminal investigative subpoena to JTA.
About one week before the Tuesday release: JTA releases records from the first subpoena covering training and purchasing card spending.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026: JTA releases records produced in response to the subpoena, including contract, salary, and travel information.
Legal Context
The records release follows a criminal investigative subpoena issued by Florida's attorney general to a Jacksonville public agency, placing JTA's internal spending and communications under state review. It is an active inquiry, and the outcome of the requested communications review is not yet known.
Riders and Jacksonville taxpayers are directly affected by how JTA manages its budget and spending while it works through a roughly $39 million shortfall. The released records offer the public a look at contracts, salaries, and business travel that the agency uses.
The takeaway
Public records released in response to investigative subpoenas can show how a public agency spends money and who it communicates with, and residents can follow the full set of releases as they are made public.
What happens next
News4JAX will update the story as it learns more from the latest records.
Further reading
For more on how local agencies are handling oversight in the area, see Jacksonville Government coverage.
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