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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville Aviation Authority Board Meeting on Lawsuit Against City (July 17, 2026)

City Council — Friday, July 17, 2026

BodyJacksonville, Florida

SessionCity Council

DateFriday, July 17, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:05:09

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Alright, it's two o'clock.

0:02

I would like to call the students order, meeting of July 16th at 2 o'clock.

0:08

We have a voting forum that has been established in person.

0:11

Melissa, are there any members attending by phone?

0:16

Any members appearing by phone?

0:17

Um possibly Mr.

0:19

Costum may be joined the meeting.

0:21

Okay, but not currently.

0:22

Not as if yes.

0:23

Yes.

0:24

Thank you.

0:24

Yes.

0:25

Also would just like to take a moment and thank our board members for the voluntary service.

0:30

It's an honor to serve alongside of you.

0:32

It's a robust group with uh tons of experience, and I thank you for your time you spent doing this.

0:37

And I would understanding the uh gravity of the latest meeting.

0:41

We'll just ask that we hold a civil meeting and respect one another and people that are making statements.

0:46

Allow them to finish and move to the same on our standpoint.

0:49

So I just thank you for your consideration there.

0:51

Notwithstanding the certainly the issues of the budget today.

0:56

So with that, I'd like to call Jason not to leave support.

1:07

And to college stands undervisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:22

Melissa, I see we have three recordings of public topics.

1:24

Is that correct?

1:25

Yes, correct.

1:26

Councilman, you're up first.

1:28

You also on the agenda at the end.

1:30

Oh, great.

1:30

Okay.

1:31

Thank you.

1:33

All right, McCallin 117 West Duval Streets.

1:37

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming this afternoon.

1:40

I wish this meeting today was about bringing a growing aerospace company to Cecil, creating thousands of jobs for Jacksonville.

1:47

Instead, it's about suing the city.

1:49

The board will soon vote on what's a fairly inflammatory resolution and on what lawyers call a quote-unquote speaking complaint, one that relies on rhetoric and set of facts.

1:59

Unfortunately, JA doesn't record its meetings, but City Council does, including the 2025 August budget hearing that forms the basis of this lawsuit.

2:07

If you watch it yourself, you'll see these allegations are wrong.

2:10

My assistant Amber right now will be handing out QR codes linking to that budget hearing.

2:15

At 223, I praise JA's management of the International Airport.

2:18

Note there's more investment at Craig than Cecil and urge accelerating investment to capture the growing aerospace market.

2:25

At 314 in this budget hearing from August 2025, I explained that I had already withdrawn every proposal I previously made regarding airport cash long ago, except Cecil.

2:35

Yet this complaint repeatedly attacks proposals that no longer exist.

2:40

At 340, we debate the FSCJ amendment.

2:43

The complaint says council pickpocketed JAA and created a budget line item from Holt Law.

2:48

Neither is true.

2:49

We simply transferred 10 million from retain earnings into Cecil Airport's capital account with one big condition.

2:55

Not one dollar could be spent unless JAA, FSCJ, the state, and the FAA agreed on a collaborative solution.

3:03

It gets crazier.

3:04

The complaint claims council seized JAA funds and compelled violations of federal law.

3:10

Neither happened.

3:12

JA has the funds now.

3:13

We haven't taken them, and we expressly prohibited spending anything without FAA approval.

3:19

JA doesn't have to spend any of the money that we allocated if it doesn't want to.

3:23

Anyway, that hearing lasted two hours.

3:26

All amendments passed unanimously.

3:28

And at 4.01, we conclude the hearing and call for a new spirit of cooperation between City Council and JAA.

3:35

We now know that never happened.

3:37

And I now know why.

3:39

This lawsuit isn't really about those allegations.

3:42

They're easily disproved when you watch the hearing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Pending Litigation█████████████████████████████████████████████80%

Economic Development██████████18%

Procedural█2%

Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville Aviation Authority Board Meeting – July 17, 2026

Note: The meeting transcript identifies the date as July 16, 2026, but the provided metadata states July 17, 2026. This summary follows the metadata date, but readers should be aware of the discrepancy.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) Board of Directors met to consider Resolution 2026-02S, which authorized filing a declaratory judgment action (lawsuit) against the City of Jacksonville. The dispute centers on the city council’s amendment of JAA’s fiscal year 2026 budget, the legality of those amendments under federal aviation law, and the broader question of JAA’s independence as an authority. After public testimony and board discussion, the resolution passed, but the board also approved a motion to delay filing for 30 days while pursuing mediation with the city.

Public Comments & Testimony

Council President Nick Howland (speaking as a member of the public) argued that the allegations in the draft complaint are false. He provided QR codes to the August 2025 budget hearing, stating that the council’s amendments did not create a new budget line item and explicitly conditioned spending on FAA approval. He urged the board to withdraw the lawsuit and work cooperatively.
Jason Teal, former City of Jacksonville General Counsel, warned that the JAA’s hiring of outside counsel without approval from the current General Counsel, Michael Facker, may violate the city charter. He stated that this could expose board members to personal liability, potential criminal liability, and a finding of malfeasance. He also argued that the complaint fails to exhaust administrative remedies and contains factual inaccuracies.

Discussion Items

Board Member (Mr. Gullifer) made a detailed presentation arguing that the JAA is an independent special district created by state law, not a city department. He cited the history of consolidation, JA’s lack of city funding, and federal prohibitions on revenue diversion as reasons the lawsuit is necessary to resolve the dispute.
Board Member (Mr. Offmeyer) , chair of the Jacksonville Aerospace Development Committee, provided facts: Cecil Airport has the highest average employee salary of any Florida airport; JAA receives no city funding; the board has a responsibility to comply with FAA regulations under the Supremacy Clause. He supported the lawsuit as a means to obtain legal clarity.
Board Member (Mr. Barnett) expressed concern about conflicts of interest if the city’s General Counsel represents both the city and the JAA, and argued that the board needs a clear legal ruling on their respective roles.
Board Member (Mr. Bill) voiced support for JAA staff and the airport’s success, calling the lawsuit “silly” and urging continued cooperation.
General Counsel Michael Facker defended his office’s role, stating that he has never refused to provide a written opinion and offered to work with the JAA over 30 days to resolve questions. He warned that approving the resolution could expose board members to personal liability, but clarified that was not a threat, only a legal advisory. He disputed several factual assertions in the resolution, including that he authorized outside counsel to review budget amendments.
Board Member (Mr. Blackwood) questioned the General Counsel about the binding nature of his opinions and the lack of a remedy for dissenting parties, referencing a previous court case (School Board vs. City) that allowed outside counsel.

Key Outcomes

Resolution 2026-02S (authorizing filing a declaratory judgment lawsuit against the City of Jacksonville) passed on a voice vote. The exact tally was not recorded in the transcript, but the chair declared the motion carried.
Motion for 30-day mediation: Immediately after the vote, a board member moved to delay filing the lawsuit for 30 days to engage in mediation with the city, appoint Board Member Michelle Barnett to oversee the process, and require that any filing be approved by the full board. This motion passed on a recorded voice vote (all in favor, none opposed). The 30-day period starts July 17, 2026.
The board agreed to work with the city’s General Counsel during the mediation period to seek clarity on legal questions. Council President Howland and General Counsel Facker both expressed willingness to participate.
No lawsuit has been filed as of the meeting adjournment. The board will reconvene or communicate as needed within the 30-day window.

Meeting Transcript

Alright, it's two o'clock. I would like to call the students order, meeting of July 16th at 2 o'clock. We have a voting forum that has been established in person. Melissa, are there any members attending by phone? Any members appearing by phone? Um possibly Mr. Costum may be joined the meeting. Okay, but not currently. Not as if yes. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Also would just like to take a moment and thank our board members for the voluntary service. It's an honor to serve alongside of you. It's a robust group with uh tons of experience, and I thank you for your time you spent doing this. And I would understanding the uh gravity of the latest meeting. We'll just ask that we hold a civil meeting and respect one another and people that are making statements. Allow them to finish and move to the same on our standpoint. So I just thank you for your consideration there. Notwithstanding the certainly the issues of the budget today. So with that, I'd like to call Jason not to leave support. And to college stands undervisible with liberty and justice for all. Melissa, I see we have three recordings of public topics. Is that correct? Yes, correct. Councilman, you're up first. You also on the agenda at the end. Oh, great. Okay. Thank you. All right, McCallin 117 West Duval Streets. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming this afternoon. I wish this meeting today was about bringing a growing aerospace company to Cecil, creating thousands of jobs for Jacksonville. Instead, it's about suing the city. The board will soon vote on what's a fairly inflammatory resolution and on what lawyers call a quote-unquote speaking complaint, one that relies on rhetoric and set of facts. Unfortunately, JA doesn't record its meetings, but City Council does, including the 2025 August budget hearing that forms the basis of this lawsuit. If you watch it yourself, you'll see these allegations are wrong. My assistant Amber right now will be handing out QR codes linking to that budget hearing. At 223, I praise JA's management of the International Airport. Note there's more investment at Craig than Cecil and urge accelerating investment to capture the growing aerospace market. At 314 in this budget hearing from August 2025, I explained that I had already withdrawn every proposal I previously made regarding airport cash long ago, except Cecil. Yet this complaint repeatedly attacks proposals that no longer exist. At 340, we debate the FSCJ amendment. The complaint says council pickpocketed JAA and created a budget line item from Holt Law. Neither is true. We simply transferred 10 million from retain earnings into Cecil Airport's capital account with one big condition. Not one dollar could be spent unless JAA, FSCJ, the state, and the FAA agreed on a collaborative solution. It gets crazier. The complaint claims council seized JAA funds and compelled violations of federal law. Neither happened.

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