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Record of Proceedings

Special Committee on Duval DOGE Meeting - April 7, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:17:42

Original source
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0:03

Good morning, everybody.

0:05

Welcome to the special committee on Duvall Dogs.

0:08

It's April 7th.

0:10

It's 11 a.m.

0:11

Let's begin with introductions to my far left.

0:14

Stephen Libby, Council Research.

0:16

Mary Stefopoulis, Office of General Counsel.

0:18

Brian Parks, Council Auditor's Office.

0:20

Kim Taylor, Council Auditor.

0:23

Hey, good morning.

0:24

Roy Diamond, District 13, the beaches.

0:26

Good morning, Chris Miller at large group five.

0:29

Ron Salem, group two at large.

0:31

Raw Aries, District 11.

0:34

Mike Gay, District 2.

0:36

Thank you.

0:40

Let me just make a couple of announcements.

0:44

It is my goal to wrap up Duvall Doge by the end of June.

0:52

And I'd like to give the next president maximum flexibility to do what he or she wants to do in terms of oversight, whether it's a Doge type process or something different.

1:08

So there are three things that we that we need to kind of wrap up.

1:12

One is the health care uh initiative, and I've got a a call on Monday to try to pull that together by the end of June.

1:22

The telehealth, and we'll get an update from Councilmember Diamond in just a minute.

1:28

And the two percent lapse, which could go beyond June 30th, uh, and I would uh advise they come to finance if any departments want to to uh to pull any dollars back.

1:43

It would be appropriate in my mind to go through the finance committee versus coming back to us.

1:48

So that would allow us to kind of pull everything together and allow the next president to do what he would like to do.

1:56

Any questions on that?

1:58

Okay.

1:59

So let me go to public comment.

2:02

Uh Mr.

2:02

Nooney, you have two minutes.

2:09

Hello.

2:10

I am John Philanthropic, Jelly Roll, good boy, resiliency Nooney.

2:18

Ojo Trace 5, Spaskam Road, Jacksville, Florida, 32216.

2:22

I'm in City Council District 4, CPAC 3, School Board District 3.

2:27

All right, uh Doge.

2:28

Dogar Waterways.

2:31

You know, at an ethics commission meeting, I asked.

2:33

We have six CPACs representing the entire city, the MDC, the Mayor's Disability Council.

2:38

They're meeting later today.

2:39

Two of the meetings were canceled.

2:41

The Council on Elder Affairs, the Senior Citizen Gang.

2:46

Why is OGC, the Office of General Counsel, not represented at these meetings.

2:55

Now I'm just down to a minute.

2:59

You know, uh agenda item five, JTAA update.

3:03

JT is on the agenda.

3:05

Now there should be a show of hands of how many people in council chambers took public transportation to this meeting.

3:12

Now I rode the Skyway this morning.

3:14

It was about 8 30, and only one train was running.

3:18

The elevators out over at James Weldon Park.

3:22

You know, not one security guard.

3:27

Anywhere.

3:29

You know, the the downtown ambassadors didn't even see one.

3:33

Now the thing is, you know, I'm just down to 30 some seconds.

3:38

But you know, that should be, and also for the Duval County Public Schools.

3:45

Everyone should be riding and taking public transportation, regardless.

3:54

And you know, uh, you'll you'll have them up here.

3:58

And and even the media, especially the media.

4:02

You know, get out there and you know, just ride the thing, or do just do it, because then you'll see.

4:10

Thank you.

4:11

Thank you, Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transportation█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████10%
Procedural████████9%
Disability Rights████5%
Transportation Safety████5%
Economic Development██2%
Public Engagement██2%
Pending Litigation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Special Committee on Duval DOGE Meeting - April 7, 2026

The Special Committee on Duval DOGE met on April 7, 2026, to review JTA operations, telehealth progress, and the future of the Skyway. Chair Ron Salem set a goal to conclude the committee’s work by end of June 2026, focusing on three areas: the healthcare initiative, telehealth, and the two percent lapse. The primary agenda item was a presentation from JTA CEO Nat Ford covering a mid-year budget amendment, paratransit service restructuring, and updates on the Navi autonomous shuttle and Skyway rehabilitation.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Nooney (District 4 resident) questioned why the Office of General Counsel is not represented at CPAC meetings and the Mayor’s Disability Council. He also criticized the Skyway’s single-train operation, broken elevators, and lack of security downtown, urging officials and media to ride public transportation to understand its shortcomings.

Discussion Items

  • Telehealth Update (Councilmember Diamond): Diamond reported that a draft report on telehealth contracts has been delayed despite multiple requests over seven weeks. He expects the report to guide the finance committee during budget season and hopes it will end further funding requests from the mayor. A call to JTA’s Jason Gabriel was planned to expedite the draft.
  • JTA FY 2026 Budget Amendment: CEO Nat Ford presented a $14.2 million revenue and expenditure adjustment approved by the JTA board in February. The shortfall is driven primarily by declining sales tax revenues (60% of operating budget), which were trending lower by $10.8 million, plus reduced fare and interest income. No service cuts were made; instead, JTA froze hiring (34 administrative positions eliminated), implemented senior leader furloughs saving $6.7 million, suspended some contracted services ($3.2 million), and reduced escalator increases on connection and connection plus contracts. Ford noted that the JTA has not increased fares in seven years and a fare modification is under study. Councilmember Diamond and Arias discussed the structural nature of the budget challenges, the impact of gas prices, and the need for careful planning before raising fares.
  • Connection and Connection Plus Restructuring: Ford clarified that connection is the federally mandated ADA paratransit service and connection plus is a premium non-shared ride service. The JTA faced an $8 million cost pressure on connection plus. After stakeholder meetings, a new fare structure took effect April 2: $10 base fare for up to 12 miles, $2.50 per mile thereafter, covering 75% of trips. The connection fare was reduced from $3 to $2. An Uber partnership offers customers up to 20 $20 vouchers per month for trips up to 18 miles, with JTA subsidizing up to $20 per trip. Since the change, connection ridership increased 12% and connection plus decreased 7%. Councilmembers Diamond and Miller raised concerns about long-distance travelers (e.g., from beaches) and trip time differences (average 8 minutes between services), and asked about expanding the Uber model. Ford noted wheelchair accessibility constraints with Uber.
  • Navi and Skyway Update: Navi service continues with six vehicles, 83% on-time performance, 86% in autonomous mode. Over 300 detours since launch due to Bay Street construction. March ridership was 1,075, total 11,892 since launch. The Skyway rehabilitation phase is evaluating five alternatives: retrofit existing system, new automated people mover, convert to AV track, remove elevated structure with street-level AVs, or repurpose as multi-use trail with AVs. Eight public meetings held, 660 survey responses received. Public sentiment favors preservation over removal. Ford said the JTA board will make a decision at its August retreat. Regarding federal payback if the Skyway is removed, Ford stated the JTA has asked the FTA to negotiate down the potential $100 million repayment, noting only 14 years of useful life remain. Councilmember Miller emphasized the need for detailed federal feedback on each alternative’s financial feasibility.
  • State-Level DOGE Report: Councilmember Miller asked for specifics from the state’s DOGE visit that claimed $190 million in waste. Chair Salem noted the auditors analyzed the report but received no response from state DOGE. The committee will pursue obtaining the details.
  • Oversight Committee Bill: Councilmember Diamond requested that the oversight committee bill be placed on the next meeting’s agenda.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee will receive a draft telehealth report in the coming weeks.
  • JTA’s mid-year budget amendment will be presented to City Council later in April for review.
  • The Skyway preferred alternative is expected to be identified by June, with board decision in August.
  • The oversight committee bill will be drafted for the next special committee meeting.
  • The next meeting will focus on the health insurance initiative.
  • No formal votes were taken; all items were informational or directive in nature.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the special committee on Duvall Dogs. It's April 7th. It's 11 a.m. Let's begin with introductions to my far left. Stephen Libby, Council Research. Mary Stefopoulis, Office of General Counsel. Brian Parks, Council Auditor's Office. Kim Taylor, Council Auditor. Hey, good morning. Roy Diamond, District 13, the beaches. Good morning, Chris Miller at large group five. Ron Salem, group two at large. Raw Aries, District 11. Mike Gay, District 2. Thank you. Let me just make a couple of announcements. It is my goal to wrap up Duvall Doge by the end of June. And I'd like to give the next president maximum flexibility to do what he or she wants to do in terms of oversight, whether it's a Doge type process or something different. So there are three things that we that we need to kind of wrap up. One is the health care uh initiative, and I've got a a call on Monday to try to pull that together by the end of June. The telehealth, and we'll get an update from Councilmember Diamond in just a minute. And the two percent lapse, which could go beyond June 30th, uh, and I would uh advise they come to finance if any departments want to to uh to pull any dollars back. It would be appropriate in my mind to go through the finance committee versus coming back to us. So that would allow us to kind of pull everything together and allow the next president to do what he would like to do. Any questions on that? Okay. So let me go to public comment. Uh Mr. Nooney, you have two minutes. Hello. I am John Philanthropic, Jelly Roll, good boy, resiliency Nooney. Ojo Trace 5, Spaskam Road, Jacksville, Florida, 32216. I'm in City Council District 4, CPAC 3, School Board District 3. All right, uh Doge. Dogar Waterways. You know, at an ethics commission meeting, I asked. We have six CPACs representing the entire city, the MDC, the Mayor's Disability Council. They're meeting later today. Two of the meetings were canceled. The Council on Elder Affairs, the Senior Citizen Gang. Why is OGC, the Office of General Counsel, not represented at these meetings. Now I'm just down to a minute. You know, uh agenda item five, JTAA update. JT is on the agenda. Now there should be a show of hands of how many people in council chambers took public transportation to this meeting. Now I rode the Skyway this morning. It was about 8 30, and only one train was running. The elevators out over at James Weldon Park. You know, not one security guard.

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