The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is cutting up to 194 positions, reducing weekday bus service largely to Saturday schedules, mothballing the Skyway and halting its autonomous NAVI shuttles to close a $39 million hole. The people overseeing JTA owe Jacksonville more than concern. They owe us an explanation.
A board earns its keep by challenging management before cash runs short. It tests assumptions, demands reliable numbers and intervenes when performance deteriorates. Jacksonville is entitled to ask whether JTA’s directors understood the difference between supporting a CEO and supervising one.
The warnings of the current financial calamity weren’t subtle. In April, an internal FDOT document described shortcomings in the $65 million NAVI program, burning about $1 million monthly. Ridership was roughly 76 passengers daily against a projection of 280…