JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Today, the CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority got called in front of council to answer questions about spending. It was JTA’s day to go over its budget in front of the Finance Committee, but Nathaniel P. Ford was also asked to address concerns raised by our reporting.
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“I wanted to deal with the pink elephant in the room,” said Ford from the podium, “and just deal with this straight ahead.”
We told you Monday that the Office of Inspector General is looking at several concerns with the agency, including how top JTA executives have spent taxpayer dollars on food, fancy hotels and tuition.
Ford defended that spending, especially the travel. He admitted tax dollars allow him the “prestigious opportunity” to travel, and, “Does it benefit in Nat Ford?” he asked, “obviously. It’s something I’m very, very proud of, but it also benefits this community.”
He’s referring to the tens of thousands of public dollars JTA spends on his trips to serve outside his capacity as JTA CEO.
The Jacksonville taxpayer has footed the bill for his work boards like the American Public Transportation Association, the Transportation Research Board, and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
Last year, Ford’s travel records show his work with the International Association of Public Transport earned him an almost ten thousand dollar ($9824.29) trip to Spain.
The taxpayer also footed the 43 hundred dollars ($4394.94) bill for Ford’s work with the Chamber of Commerce to bring autonomous vehicle maker Holon to the city.
All that travel not only costs money but Ford’s time. JTA’s records show Ford is traveling just as much as he’s in the office.
Investigates: How much time is JTA’s CEO spending in the office?
From the podium, Ford argued the work might not be in his job description but it has helped bring home funding and clout for the agency.
“The JTA, he said, is “far beyond our primary mission now. We are part of an economic development investment that generations to come will benefit in terms of our community.”
Ford also argued that more than 20 thousand dollars in tuition reimbursement for his executives is needed to keep them from leaving and the 25 thousand dollars JTA pays for employee massages is part of a wellness program.
It was clear the JTA team met with most of the members of the finance committee ahead of time, but Ford still faced some tough questions he couldn’t answer. When it came to the luxury resorts JTA staff stayed, Councilman Rory Diamond asked, “Does JTA stick with the city policy?” To which Ford did not have a clear answer but claimed they were “looking into it.”
Ford also received praise, especially from the former council liaison to JTA, Ju’coby Pittman. She told Ford to “continue to do what you do because we love you here and you are definitely… you and your team are visionary. "
The Inspector General’s investigation into JTA did not come up at the meeting, but later in the day, an additional inquest was announced. The OIG says it plans to look at how all the independent authorities spend money on travel. That would be in addition to what the OIG is already looking at for JTA specifically.
In a rare move, the Florida Department of Transportation sent two representatives to take notes at the meeting. The state passed a law that will curb the amount of money transportation agencies spend on administrative costs and this will be the first year agencies must comply.
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