The agency that delivers thousands of transit rides daily across Jacksonville promoted Cleveland Ferguson III to interim CEO and tasked him with turning the page on financial turmoil while a national search gets underway for the next CEO.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority board unanimously approved making Ferguson interim CEO at a pivotal time for the agency.
Board member Max Glober asked Ferguson to work quickly with JTA's new Chief Financial Officer Randall Barnes on a plan that JTA "can execute violently and decisively to help fix the financial state of the authority."
"I think those two individuals, along with the rest of the (executive) team are very equipped to do that," Glober said. "But my request is that we see a very comprehensive
and common-sense plan that we can begin executing immediately."
Ferguson will replace Nat Ford who is leaving JTA after more than 13 years to become CEO in October of Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Ferguson was in the running this month to be CEO of MARTA in Atlanta where he was among three finalists before the MARTA board decided to keep its interim CEO in charge.
Ferguson, who plans to apply for the permanent CEO post at JTA, got the nod for interim CEO after a handful of agency administrators applied for it.
"We're in a period of transition that hasn't happened in almost 14 years and so that's really what my focus is," he said after the board meeting. "We have to have a concrete plan to stabilize the organization, to be recognized as critical infrastructure by the city and to make some structural changes in the way we are funded. ... You should expect to see within 30 days some major changes in that direction."
JTA has a broad impact on transportation in the Jacksonville area through its bus routes, the St. Johns River Ferry, the downtown Skyway, the Connexion and Connexion Plus services for riders with disabilities, the NAVIautonomous shuttles on Bay Street in downtown, and commuter service to St. Johns, Nassau and Clay counties.
JTA also has been a road-building agency and while that has decreased over the years, it remains part of its mission.
Ferguson: Future of Skyway must be what JTA can afford
A sharp downturn this year in sales tax collections that pay for roughly half of JTA's operating costs has forced cuts in the workforce including layoffs and furloughs along with some service reductions affecting riders that will start in October.
JTA is moving forward with a study on the future of the Skyway with a second round of public meetings scheduled in September on alternatives including expansion of the NAVI autonomous transit shuttles that operate on Bay Street to other parts of downtown.
Several City Council members have said they want to reopen a 2021 agreement and reprioritize $247 million from local gas tax money that's committed for converting the Skyway so the NAVI shuttles can run on it.
City Council member Rory Diamond told the board if those talks have "some guardrails on the discussions" they could benefit JTA by giving it more flexibility to use the gas tax money for everyday operating expenses.
Ferguson, who has experience working at both City Hall and JTA, said the the agency is ready to have talks with Mayor Donna Deegan and City Council about the list of gas tax projects.
"Everything is on the table in terms of the conversation," he said.
He said he wants to hear from the public at the September meetings on the various options for the Skyway's future. He said there are financial models for how the public and private sectors can "get together for these types of innovative programs."
"I can tell you that whatever it is that's to be decided, we have to be able to afford it, and that's not only for JTA," he said. "That's for the entire transportation industry."
Ferguson was the city's deputy chief administrative officer in Mayor Alvin Brown's administration from 2012 to 2015. He then joined JTA and moved up to executive vice president and chief administrative officer the past three years.
He was a tenured professor at Florida Coastal School of Law before moving into the field of government and brings a professorial air to his presentations and responses at JTA board meetings. He earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law and is a member of the Florida Bar.
While Ferguson leads JTA as interim CEO, the firm KLK Connects will help JTA carry out a national search for the next CEO who could be chosen by the end of the year or early 2027.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Cleveland Ferguson gets nod as JTA interim CEO at pivotal time
