Incoming DART CEO's former company sees more closures amid criminal investigation, budget crisis
DALLAS - The incoming CEO of DART remains on track to take the job this month despite an active criminal investigation into his prior company in Florida, where an autonomous shuttle project he was the driving force of will soon shut down.
DART CEO hire
Timeline:
In July, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board selected Nathaniel Ford, then the CEO of the Jacksonville Transit Authority, as its new leader.
Ford's expected start date for his new role is late October 2026. He resigned from his position at the JTA earlier this year.
Nathaniel Ford
Last week, news broke that the Florida Attorney General's office had reportedly opened a criminal investigation into JTA. The transit company is facing a $39 million budget shortfall, forcing route reductions and staffing cuts.
The investigation focuses on spending that occurred under Ford’s leadership, including expenses for massages, murals, hotel stays, and JTA's tuition reimbursement policy for potential IRS code violations.
Florida’s AG has requested all text messages and emails between Ford, his wife, and consultant Kenston Griffin sent between October 2023 and March 2025. Subpoenas issued in the probe name Ford, as well as Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.
FOX 4 also previously reported on investigations into Ford’s travel expenses in Jacksonville that included a nearly $10,000 trip to Spain.
What's New:
Amid news of the criminal investigation into the JTA, the company's NAVI autonomous shuttle system will shut down on December 31.
Described on the company's website as "the first fully autonomous public transportation system network in the United States," Ford was at the helm when the system launched.
What they're saying:
"This is a nightmare for the city of Jacksonville just to do the normal things the city is supposed to do."
Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond says the NAVI shuttles are part of the reason JTA faces its budget shortfall.
"The city of Jacksonville's just not qualified to run this thing. And it was going to be hugely expensive, $400 million for an agency whose annual budget is like $140 million," Diamond tells FOX 4's Lori Brown. "So huge amount of expense, untested technology, very unclear, why would we be doing this at all."
Diamond says he's not sure if Ford broke any laws while he was head of the JTA, but the city's budget shortfall exists nonetheless.
We're $40 million in the hole. We just had to do a city loan, essentially for $30 million. We're not gonna be able to do certain street repairs or certain new parks because we've got to pay the bills of the JTA."
Local perspective:
"Many red flags were uncovered during this broken process, and not just in Jacksonville. The investigation in Florida raises even more serious concerns," DART Board member Doug Hrbacek tells FOX 4.
FOX 4 reached out to DART Board Chair Randall Bryant, Ford, and other DART Board members for comment, but has not received a response.
What's next:
JTA has until next Tuesday, Oct. 20, to produce the records related to the investigation, according to the subpoena.
Ford is still expected to begin his position as DART CEO one week later.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a Jacksonville City Councilman, official subpoenas from the Florida Attorney General's Office, and previous FOX 4 reporting.