Attorney General James Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution issued the subpoena Sept. 28,Jacksonville Todayreported. It demands vendor contracts, communications involving former CEO Nathaniel Ford and his wife, and ridership numbers JTA reported for its downtown autonomous vehicle shuttle, NAVI.

JTA said in a statement Sept. 29 that it would fully cooperate and provide documents as requested. The deadline to turn over records is Oct. 30. Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson must appear before a statewide prosecutor in February, according toFirst Coast News.

The subpoena adds a state-level legal probe to an already crowded field. Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland announced Sept. 30 that the council's Financial Audit and Oversight Select Committee would launch its own inquiry into the shortfall.

Howland toldJacksonville Todaythat the council could not wait for the attorney general's investigation, which could take months, because residents need transit to get to work. He said that two months before the crisis became public, JTA and city officials projected a $2 million shortfall for the fiscal year. After Ford's departure, that projection ballooned to nearly $31 million.

Impact on Clay County

The Clay County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 23 to terminate its funding agreement with JTA. The contract was renewed last year and was supposed to run through September 2028. The county had been paying JTA roughly $1.4 million a year, according toHoodline.

Clay Community Transportation's Red, Blue, Magenta and Green shuttle lines serve Orange Park, Middleburg and Keystone Heights on weekdays for a $1 fare. The Clay Express Select commuter route connects riders to Jacksonville's Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla. Together, the services carried nearly 29,000 riders in 2025.

County officials said current service will continue while commissioners explore alternatives before the contract expires Dec. 31, 2026. No replacement provider, service level or cost has been announced.

"There are people that depend on these lines of transportation," Commissioner Jim Renninger said at the Sept. 23 meeting, according toFirst Coast News. "I get a little antsy when we're gonna cancel something without knowing any alternative for replacement."

Restructuring and budget cuts

At the Sept. 23 JTA board meeting, Ferguson said the agency's restructuring would continue through Nov. 1, 2026, and that JTA would bring service in line with available resources.

JTA expects more than 150 layoffs to save $21.9 million, according toNews4JAX. The agency's board also approved a deal Sept. 23 allowing JTA to use $30 million in local gas-tax revenue to pay down debt and cover severance, with 10 years to repay.

Clay County commissioners have said they will decide on an alternate transit option by the end of the year.