(Jacksonville, FL – October 28, 2026) Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III announced that he is withdrawing from consideration for the permanent CEO position in order to focus solely on fixing the authority’s financial crisis.

The Board of Directors unanimously named Ferguson interim CEO on August 27 with the directive to take quick and decisive action to solve the JTA’s budget issues.

Shortly thereafter, Ferguson presented an amended 2026-27 budget to address a $39 million shortfall.

“Leading through this time has been the honor of a lifetime,” Ferguson said. “My focus is to try to help this organization and this community to get to the other side of this.”

The Board of Directors also voted on Wednesday to hire an outside auditing firm to determine how the JTA ended up in this financial position prior to Ferguson taking the interim position.

“Cleveland showed true leadership in taking control and responsibility to put the JTA on solid financial footing for our customers and our community,” JTA Board Chair Aundra Wallace said. “He stepped into an incredibly difficult situation and made the difficult decisions needed for the JTA.”

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About the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida, and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services and builds roads, bridges, and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI), paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. To learn more, visit www.jtafla.com.

Media Contact:
For media inquiries, please contact:

Lynn Opperman
AVP – Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
lopperman@jtafla.com
(904) 676-7225