In response to a Jacksonville Transportation Authority board member demanding an explanation of what she described as discrepancies in the reporting of ridership numbers, the JTA staff issued a memo saying the organization is reporting its statistics correctly.
The board member, Megan Hayward, remained critical after reading the memo, saying it didn’t address her questions.
During the board’s Feb. 27 meeting, Hayward said JTA reports to the board contained ridership metrics lower than the figures the organization provides to the American Public Transportation Association, which shares them with the Florida and federal departments of transportation.
In its report to the association, the JTA reported a total of 7.5 million riders in 2024. It reports quarterly and offers month-by-month numbers.
Hayward said the discrepancy was routinely in the neighborhood of 2,000 riders a month, which caused her concern considering that the numbers are a factor in determining federal and state funding for the organization.
In the memo, the JTA said the information provided to the board and to federal authorities differs but is accurate in both cases.
The JTA’s reports to the board track ridership across all modes of transportation, while the federal government requires information on “specific service categories” as opposed to across-the-board figures.
The memo says JTA sends information to the National Transit Database, which is overseen by the Federal Transit Administration.
The statistics given to the National Transit Database are the same as those provided to the American Public Transportation Association.
“However, on average, NTD and APTA figures appear 20,000 riders lower per month than the JTA due to differences in reporting criteria,” the memo says.
The JTA’s report to the board is for “Total System Ridership,” which includes alternative transit solutions such as Connexion Plus, a private pickup and drop-off option.
As an example of how the differing reporting criteria affect the reports, the memo says “services not solely funded by JTA or those where customers are provided exclusive rides — such as Beaches Dial-a-Ride and Connexion Plus — are omitted from NTD totals.”
“This distinction naturally results in lower reported ridership figures in NTD and APTA datasets.”
The American Public Transportation Association report comprises four categories: automated guideway, demand response, ferry boat and bus.
Automated guideway would be the Skyway monorail. Demand response is service that doesn’t operate on fixed routes or schedules.
The JTA didn’t immediately answer emailed questions about the service categories reported to the federal government and about other examples of alternative transit modes.
The memo also states that ridership figures do not play a significant part in determining JTA’s federal funding.
“The FTA’s apportionment formula considers multiple factors — including population, density, vehicle revenue miles, and passenger miles traveled — rather than relying heavily on raw ridership data,” the memo says.
“Passenger counts are included but are not a material weighting factor.”
JTA: Hayward missing meetings
When Hayward raised pointed questions during the Feb. 27 board meeting, it was out of character with the usual atmosphere of those meetings.
Before formal board sessions, the JTA staff holds one-on-one meetings with members and work sessions with the board that are designed to generate full discussions of issues, but the formal board meetings generally do not involve significant questioning or criticism by the board.
As an example of the tenor of the board sessions, in the minutes of meetings available on the JTA’s website, every one of the approximately 40 board votes recorded since the start of 2024 were unanimously approved.
The memo says Hayward “had not previously shared this information (ridership concerns) with staff in any scheduled one-on-one Board briefing meetings or work sessions — forums specifically designed to facilitate informed discussions and thorough responses,” the memo states.
“Notably, the Director missed several of these meetings, including the February 2025 one-on-one meeting she canceled. Additionally, JTA staff provided a detailed ridership briefing in January, during which the Director did not raise any questions. A subsequent memo addressing ridership data was also sent to the Board on January 29, 2025.”
Hayward responds
In a 500-word statement on the memo, Hayward said she had questioned the ridership numbers before Feb. 27 and defended her right to raise concerns during an open session of the board.
“As a member of a state-created Board of Directors, I believe that every concern and question I raise is a matter of public interest,” she said.
“The public has a right to be informed about the issues impacting how their tax dollars are spent. To criticize me for not raising these questions privately contradicts the principles of transparency enshrined in Florida Sunshine laws. Advocating to conduct public business in a private setting is contrary to the spirit of openness and accountability that these laws promote, and I strongly disagree with such a stance.”
Hayward called the JTA’s explanation for the statistical discrepancies misleading, saying her concerns were related to differences in reporting of “fixed route ridership” – specifically, buses.
“The numbers provided to the Board are often reported one or even two months after the period in question,” she stated.
“These numbers should align, even if they are not entirely accurate. There is no justification for discrepancies between the fixed route (buses) numbers sent to the Board and those reported to APTA and FTA.”
During the board meeting, Hayward also questioned whether a JTA contribution of $60,000 to JAXUSA Partnership was ethnically appropriate. JTA board member Aundra Wallace is president of JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development arm of JAX Chamber.
In another memo from JTA, the organization’s general counsel stated that “there is no apparent conflict of interest raised by virtue of the fact that JTA provides certain funding to JAXUSA Partnership or JAX Chamber because that funding does not inure to the special private gain or loss of Mr. Wallace nor his family or business associates.”
In response, Hayward reiterated her concerns, saying the JTA should not seek “legal loopholes to justify our actions” involving taxpayer funds.
“If we cannot manage sponsorships with transparency and integrity, how can we expect the public to trust the organization’s handling of large federal grants?” she said.
“The debate over the legality of allocating funds to an organization led by a Board member is, in my view, indefensible.”
Replacement effort
Two days before the Feb. 27 meeting, legislation requested by Mayor Donna Deegan’s office was introduced to the City Council seeking to replace Hayward midterm by former Council President and Neptune Beach Mayor Elaine Brown.
Hayward was appointed to a partial first term in 2023 that was scheduled to expire in May 2025, followed automatically by a full four-year term.
In a written statement, Deegan said her goal in nominating Brown was to “align board membership with background and experience to move city priorities forward.” She said the timing was related to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent appointments of Max Glober and Donald “Donnie” Horner III.
Deegan said she planned to work with Hayward “to expand her role in serving the community.”
The legislation involving Hayward’s replacement on the board, Resolution 2025-0157, must be approved by Council for the change to take place. It is on track for final Council action in early April.