JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville councilman said that JTA’s autonomous vehicle infrastructure needs to be in place before downtown development is complete.
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The Duval DOGE committee spent more than an hour on Tuesday grilling JTA officials about the Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Initiative (NAVI) program.
“It’s a $400 million program that has no tested technology, no real budget, no timeline,” Councilmember Rory Diamond said. “We’re a city of a million people – let’s just run buses that are efficient.”
JTA CEO Nat Ford defended the program during intense questioning, emphasizing its importance for Jacksonville’s future development.
“The success of our city is going to largely depend on mobility,” Ford said. “It’s not a question of if, but when.”
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The debate comes as Jacksonville undergoes massive downtown redevelopment, including renovations to the Jaguars stadium, the relocation of the MOSH museum, and multiple hotel projects. The total downtown investment is estimated at $8 billion.
Supporters argue that the autonomous vehicle infrastructure needs to be in place before the completion of major projects like The Shipyards development.
“You guys are being forward thinking, innovative,” said Council member Paul Arias Jr. “With over $8 billion in downtown development, we need to be reactive about how we’re going to transport people.”
The NAVI program only began charging fares on Oct. 1, and some council members suggest keeping rides free until downtown’s population density increases.
However, the committee has used the fact that NAVI only has about 1,600 riders per month as evidence that the program may be premature for Jacksonville’s needs.